Richmond - Gulf Give RVA: a benefit show at Legend Brewery to support the gulf cleanup effort.  What's that you say?  How predictable?  Well being predictable does not negate a good cause.  Or a good excuse to drink lots of delicious beer.  To top it all off, there was even an all you can eat cookout buffet.  Now I didn't find out about this shindig until a couple days before it went down, but as soon as I did I was quick to jump on the opportunity to drink a few good beers for a good cause.  The whole thing was a fund-raiser for an organization called the Gulf Restoration Network.  They've been working to protect and restore the natural habitats of the Gulf of Mexico for 15 years.  I'll drink to that.  And maybe eat a few burgers and hot dogs as well.

The event started in the afternoon, but unfortunately I was unable to get there until late evening, just in time to hear Jackass Flats going through their sound check and grab a couple cheeseburgers.  The music was set up out on the deck, and it was a gorgeous night for it, except for the billows of smoke blowing off the grill straight into the band's faces.  But there was nothing to do but play on.  You can't have a cookout without a little smoke.  By the time I got inside and ordered a beer, I could hear the band starting to play and rushed outside to be met by some phenomenal bluegrass sounds.  I can't truly call Jackass Flats a bluegrass band, and I don't think they would want me to, but I can say that they have built their own sound from a heavy foundation in bluegrass traditions.  The first major difference that I noted was the keys.  If you were to ask someone what instruments they would expect to hear in a bluegrass band, banjo, guitar, fiddle and pedal steel guitar would all be top answers and even drums are not too unusual in more modern bluegrass.  But bluegrass keyboard?  That is indeed a rare occurrence.  But it sounded great.  The keys meshed perfectly with the guitar to make a sound that truly was bluegrass in nature if not in origin.

While I loved the sounds of Jackass Flats, I have to say that I was most excited for the band that was to come on after them.  Regular readers may recall that I love horns, but in case you are not a regular reader I'll just let you in on a little secret: I love horns of all kinds; trumpets, trombones, tubas, sousaphones, and even saxophones (yeah I know they're not technically horns, but cut me some slack they play in the horn section of most bands).  But what I really love is a good New Orleans style jazz horn section.  If you can't see where this is going then your knowledge of the Richmond music scene is sorely lacking.  For those of you that do know, say it with me: No BS! Brass Band.  There's really not much to say about No BS! other than they are one of the most awesome live performances in Richmond.  Ask anyone who has ever heard them play and they will agree with me on this one.  All thirteen members mesh their sounds together in an extremely danceable and funky style with deep roots in New Orleans jazz.  No BS! was an obvious choice for a concert to benefit the Gulf Restoration Network.

All in all the Gulf Give RVA was a tremendous success.  Despite threatening storm clouds all around, the weather held out and made for a lovely night to sit out on the deck overlooking the river and listen to some amazing music for a good cause.

MySpace.com/JackassFlatsBand

MySpace.com/NoBSBrass

By Editor (Managing) and Correspondent: Robin Marschak

Robin Marschak was born and raised in Richmond, VA. After a brief attempt at attending an engineering school in Claremont, CA he returned home to study English at VCU, an endeavour he is currently still engaged in. One thing that has remained unchanging throughout his life is a love of music. He was raised on local bands such as the Ululating Mummies and Dogs New Clothes as well as more classic mainstream bands such as the Beatles and the Grateful Dead. As a teen his tastes shifted towards the punk scene and bands such as TSOL, Operation Ivy, and Rancid, and while he maintains a deep love of this style of music he has broadened his listening palette quite a bit in recent years especially into the realms of country and old time music. His favorite bands currently are Popebear, a blues-funk fusion band out of Pasadena, CA, the Hot Seats, a string band from Richmond, and the No BS! Brass Band, also from Richmond. As far as more national acts go he tries to catch shows by bands like Umphrey's McGee, Old Crow Medicine Show, and the Belleville Outfit whenever possible.

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