Thursday, Aug. 14
Tim O’Brien and with Jan Fabricius at The Tin Pan
Multi-Grammy winner and multi-instrumentalist Tim O’Brien returns to RVA with his wife Jan Fabricius for warm, roots music and two voices. 8 to 9:30 p.m. $46.25. Tickets available here.
Friday, Aug. 15
Jay Pharoah at Richmond Funny Bone (also Saturday, Aug. 16)
The Virginia native and former impressionist from “Saturday Night Live” returns to Richmond for two nights featuring two shows each night. Friday night’s shows are at 7 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Saturday’s shows are at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. Ages 21 and up. $37-$47.
The 68th Festival of the Arts presents “Once on This Island”at Dogwood Dell
“Once on This Island” takes inspiration from the fairy tale “The Little Mermaid,” but set on an island in the Caribbean and adapted from the 1985 novel “My Love, My Love; or, “The Peasant Girl” by Rosa Guy. The cast and creative team behind the Dogwood Dell production of “Once on This Island” are all Black, a first for a Dell theatrical production. Free. 600 S. Arthur Ashe Jr. Blvd. Read more from our preview here. 8 p.m.
NASCAR Race Weekend: Craftsman Truck Series (Friday) and Cookout 400 (Saturday) at Richmond Raceway Complex
If you’re into racing cars this is your weekend, as it features three days of “short track action.” Tickets start at $27. Get all the info you could possibly need at the Richmond Raceway website.
Corey Fonville, Sam Fribush and Charlie Hunter at Révéler Experiences
Organist Sam Fribush, previously of Hiss Golden Messenger and the California Honeydrops, among others, is a revelation on the Hammond B2. The instrument was once a staple of jazz, with great players like Jimmy Smith and Larry Young in the classic ’60s Blue Note-era bringing the energies and sonorities of the Black church to the harmonic landscape of John Coltrane and Wes Montgomery. This trio, with Butcher Brown drummer Corey Fonville and Charlie Hunter, whom drummer Nate Smith recently called “your favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist,” played Révéler in front of a packed house in mid-June. There isn’t anywhere to hide in a trio. Both Fonville and Hunter are monsters on their instruments, and Fribush has the knowledge and the skills to play at their level. The last performance was exciting from beginning to end; the kind of show that demonstrates RVAs ability to punch well above its demographic weight. (The fact that Fribush and Hunter are both based in the Carolinas is a major plus for return visits.) This time around, the trio will be augmented by ace North Carolina percussionist Brevan Hampden, adding another rhythmic dimension to the sound. They will play two shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30-40.—Peter McElhinney
Saturday, Aug. 16
The 34th Down Home Family Reunion: A Celebration of African American Folklife at Abner Clay Park
Celebrate African American folklife through music, dance, storytelling, food, and community. “Experience the rhythm and soul on the Zeke Allison Main Stage, explore unique Black-owned goods in the Juanita Ragland Heritage Market, connect with local organizations in the Waverly Crawley Community Row, and bring the little ones for fun and culture at the Annie Tyler Children’s Place.” 4 p.m.
Out of town pick: Kinsale Waterman’s Market at The Slips Marina
The Yeocomico Club located in Kinsale, Va. is hosting a maritime market this Saturday at The Slips marina. An hour-and-a-half drive from the River City, Kinsale is a quaint coastal town that drew in former Richmonders Katy Best and Josh Dziegiel, who run the club’s roof deck bar Lucky’s. The market will feature drinks from cocktail pro Beth Dixon, partnering with Best at the bar; a wine tasting from Penny’s Wine Shop; a seafood smattering including oysters on the half-shell and fried up, brought to you by Dziegiel and Dead Shell Oyster pop-up; vendors hawking local pottery, plants, baked goods and more; live music; and even a tarot reading boat. The market runs from 3-7 p.m. and is free and open to the public. – Mary Scott Hardaway
Butcher Brown at Révéler Experiences
While it is great to see the the members of Butcher Brown in Corey Fonville Quartet, or the R4nd4zzo Big Band, or Tennishu, or a DJ Harrison set, it is getting to be a special event to see the full group, including now Los Angeles-based guitarist Morgan Burrs, doing the music for which they are justly famous. The band’s mixture of popular forms and serious jazz virtuosity explores the seam divide between popular and art music. It’s a successful mix, both nationally and internationally (they leave for another European tour in October.) Their recent album, “Letters from the Atlantic,” sails between genres with ’70s funk jazz confidence and a number of guest stars including Nicholas Peyton, who recorded a full album with them before their breakthrough, along for the ride. It’s a band that can and does go anywhere, equally at home in hip-hop, neo-soul and straight-ahead jazz standards. They are probably too big an act for the colorful confines of Reveler, which makes it a perfect place to see them. Butcher Brown plays two shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30-40.—Peter McElhinney
James “Saxsmo” Gates album release at Perkinson Center for the Arts (Chester)
‘Saxsmo” Gates has some surprises in store for his upcoming CD release this Saturday. The title of his new album, “Saxsmo’s Den,” refers to the the informal room where trusted friends and family members gather (the more formal living room or parlor close to the entrance is for outsiders.) When he was growing up, his jazz saxophonist father would come home late from a gig, invite his bandmates into the den, and play some more. Neighbors in the know would stop by to listen, staying so long that it wasn’t uncommon for people to fall asleep on the shoulder of whomever they were sitting next to. That unforced intimacy is Gates’ intent on the record — and the concert. There will be furniture.
The album is a throwback to classic ’60s Blue Note sessions. Gates even had the mastering done at the Nashville studio used by the great jazz label. The songs are a mix of ballads and burners tracking with the saxophonist’s life experiences. The playing is distinguished by both Gates’ emotional openness on the slow songs, and his deep commitment to the grove while playing four-dimensional chess with the melodies in the intense pieces. The lineup is the all-star veteran group that often assembles locally as “The Brotherhood” — Mike Hawkins on bass, Billy Williams Jr on drums, and Weldon Hill or the amazing Tidewater pianist Justin Kauflin. The final song, “Georgia on My Mind,” features a string section led by Naima Burrs with vocals from Desiree Roots Centeio. This concert, drawing from Gates’ music from across his career, will feature an upsized group with two drummers, a horn section, guitar, and vocals — including Centeio. “All of my father’s friends used to tell me the same thing,” Gates says. “Keep jazz alive. Everything I do is to support the music.” It promises to be a lively night. 7 p.m. Tickets are $40.—P.M.
Sunday, Aug. 17
“Santa Sangre” (1989) at the Byrd Theatre
The surreal psychological horror of “Holy Blood” by the Chilean and French avant-garde filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky. 7 p.m. $9.
Tuesday, Aug. 19
“Music as Poetry, Poetry as Music” featuring Pygmy Lush, Nabeel, Hotspit and DJ Apprenticeship; with readings by Elizabeth Whitmire, Micaela Carren, Raan, and Mathias Svalina at the Greenhouse Gallery
Richmond has been home to a jag of interdisciplinary art performances this year, and I’m hear for it (see what I did there?) Avery Fogarty of Hotspit is the organizer of this new series, which paired dancers and prose writers earlier this summer, and hopes it will continue to defy expectations. “You know that ball of light that creeps in through your window sometimes? And looks like it’s dancing for your eyes only? It’s kind of like that,” Fogarty tells Style. This installment joins singers from notable local bands in solo mode, and poets reading from their work. Micaela Carren, who’ll be among the readers, says “there is no one place where poetry ends and music begins. Each word and each note create the same space of feeling and remembrance.” Doors are at 6:30 p.m. at 319 ½ South Pine (alley entrance). Donations are encouraged and will benefit the Gaza Soup Kitchen of Annandale, Virginia.—Tim Abbondelo
Wednesday, Aug. 20
Fitz and the Tantrums with Snack Time at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Groovin in the Garden presents the Man on the Moon tour by the neo soul and indie pop outfit Fitz and the Tantrums from Los Angeles. 6:30 to 10 p.m.
