Summer Music Preview

A guide to summer outdoor concert season, in Richmond and around Virginia.

The season of outdoor concerts is upon us, and Richmonders hoping to enjoy live music beneath the summer sun or starry skies (or in air-conditioned comfort) have an impressive set list to choose from, both in town and around the state. We’ve picked out some of the summer’s best, everything from indie rock to big-time bluegrass festivals, all of it guaranteed to give you that summer feeling. ​

Carbon Leaf’s Ragtime Carnival and Campout  5/15-5/16

The two-decades-old-and-counting Randolph-Macon College-born, Richmond-based band Carbon Leaf, while between tours, is convening its second Ragtime Carnival and Campout on May 15 and 16 at Pocahontas State Park in Chesterfield County, as part of the Pocahontas Live series.

Member Terry Clark recalls that the band held similar festivals on Mayo and Brown’s islands in the early 2000s as the Endless Summer Luau, and the idea didn’t completely fade. Since camping is available at Pocahontas, the Ragtime Carnival pulled in last year and exceeded expectations. “People came up to us [and said], ‘Man, you got to do this next year, it has to become a tradition!’ ” 

This year, the roster includes Trigger Hippy, with singer Joan Osborne (remember “One of Us”?) and drummer Steve Gorman, who co-founded the Black Crowes, plus another Crowes alum, singer-guitarist-keyboardist Jackie Greene, rounded out with accomplished players Tom Bukovac and Nick Govrik. Trigger Hippy, Clark says, is playing big festivals, like Bonnaroo and Wakarusa — “and our little thing here at Pocahontas Park. So we’re happy about that.” And there’s Jeff Daniels with the Ben Daniels Band —  yes, the Jeff Daniels who held the Union line in Gettysburg and went off-script in Newsroom — joining his son’s band. “He’s been a singer-songwriter on the side for a long time,” Clark says. Also on board is Scythian, the energetic Washington, D.C., Celtic folk-rock band; and Von Grey, returning from last year: “four sisters who’re just crazy good, and they play everything, and those four-part sibling harmonies are amazing,” Clark says. Ian McFeron of Seattle, a singer-songwriter in the Bob Dylan/Ryan Adams mold, is in, too, Carbon Leaf will close both nights and get Saturday started with an 11 a.m. acoustic set, “something fun and low-key for everybody who’s getting up, finding their coffee and rolling out of their campsites.” Friday’s music begins at 6 p.m., appropriately with PBR, that is, the People’s Blues of Richmond. $35 for two-day admission, plus camping fees. 794-6700 or pocahontaslive.com. —Harry Kollatz Jr.

St. Vincent  6/3

Annie Clark, better known as indie pop darling St. Vincent, is carving time out of a busy festival season to take the stage at the National on June 3. Last year’s self-titled release garnered the Oklahoma-born singer/songwriter her first Grammy for best alternative album, as well as critical acclaim for the melding of an eclectic — and sometimes odd — instrumentation with electronic synths, supplemented by an increasingly mature lyrical sensibility. 8 p.m. $25 ($22.50 in advance). 612-1900 or thenationalva.com. —Mark Robinson

Dinwiddie Music Fest  6/4-6/6

The Richmond region loves its music festivals. It’s also been a hotbed of bluegrass and traditional country music since the days of the original Old Dominion Barn Dance. So it’s a wonder something like the Dinwiddie Music Fest, slated this summer for Virginia Motorsports Park, took so long to happen. “We do a lot of racing, but we want to better utilize our property to become an entertainment venue,” says Allen Carpenter, the facility manager of the 500-acre complex, which celebrated its 20th year of operation last year and is also the annual site for the Dinwiddie County Fair. “I don’t know anywhere you can go and see performers like this, scattered over three days, for such a low price.” 

The first installment of the three-day festival, starting June 4, will present an impressive array of top-notch regional and national Americana acts, including Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Rhonda Vincent and the Rage, the Lonesome River Band, Grass Cats, IIIrd Tyme Out, the Larry Stephenson Band, and many more. “There are some great bluegrass festivals out there, like at Graves Mountain Lodge,” Carpenter says, “but you have to drive long distances to get to them. We’re only 25 to 30 minutes from downtown Richmond.”

The hope is that the Dinwiddie Music Fest will grow to become a regional mainstay, keeping traditions alive. “I grew up on this kind of music,” says Carpenter, who handpicked the performers. “To me, this is the real country music.” And if all goes well, he hopes that Virginia Motorsports Park can bring back the popular Beach Music festival that it used to hold a decade ago. 

Single-day tickets to the Dinwiddie Music Fest are $30; a three-day ticket goes for $75 to $90. Camping areas and hookups are available. 862-3174 or dinwiddiemusicfest.com. —Don Harrison

Future Islands  6/5

The Baltimore-based Future Islands was doing pretty well for years, touring the country and performing small shows for a cultlike following of loyal fans. But after the band’s debut television performance on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2014, the group was propelled to viral sensation. It wasn’t just the well-crafted, catchy and melancholy ’80s synth-pop sound of “Seasons (Waiting on You)” that captivated the audience. It was the persona of vocalist Samuel T. Herring that caught everyone’s attention. With his haunting inflections and unusual stage moves, Herring channels deep passion in each chest-pounding, soulful performance. You’ll just have to see it for yourself on June 5, when Future Islands appears with Richmond’s own White Laces at Friday Cheers. 6 p.m. $10. venturerichmond.com. —Michael Murphy

Mountains of Music Homecoming  6/12-6/20

Mid-June is road-trip time if you love bluegrass, country and down-home gospel music. That’s when the Mountains of Music Homecoming festival will bring together multiple concerts across 30 Southwest Virginia communities in a massive, nine-day eruption of rustic Americana. The festival’s June 12 kickoff show at the Carter Fold in Hiltons sees the legendary Jesse McReynolds and the Virginia Boys paired with guitarist Wayne Henderson and gospel singer the Rev. Frank Newsome. Other highlights include hot bluegrassers Junior Sisk and Ramblers Choice with Appalachian songbird Elizabeth LaPrelle at Bluefield College on June 16, the long-running Seldom Scene at Natural Tunnel State Park in Duffield on June 18, and the Giles Mountain String Band (with the Hoorah Cloggers) at Virginia Tech’s Center for the Arts in Blacksburg on June 19. Those are just a few of the many ticketed shows — the likes of Roni Stoneman, the Wolfe Brothers String Band, Larnell Starkey and the Spiritual Seven, Mark O’ Connor, and Dale Jett and Hello Stranger are also scheduled — but there are plenty of free events, too, like the old-time jam sessions at the Floyd Country Store. The sprawling concert series is presented by The Crooked Road, a 330-mile music trail that connects 19 counties and dozens of music venues. If you like pickin’, you’ll be grinnin’. mtnsofmusic.com.  —DH

Live Art: Soul  6/7

Mechanicsville native Jason Mraz will be back in town for the Live Art: Soul concert June 7 at the Altria Theater, along with singer-songwriters Sara Bareilles and Mandy Moore, who is recognizable as voice of Rapunzel in the movie Tangled. Produced by the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC), the event also will feature more than 200 students, about half of whom live with some form of disability. SPARC Executive Director Ryan Ripperton says the concert’s theme is human connection, allowing students to reflect on “what is their soul-print on the world?” Musical guests also include Mraz’s fellow SPARC alumnus Zak Resnick, who appeared in Mamma Mia! on Broadway, and the all-female folk-rock group Raining Jane. 6 p.m. $30 to $70. sparconline.org/liveartsoul. —Henry Lutz 

Weird Al Yankovic 6/11

Alfred Matthew Yankovic, a bespectacled accordion player who creates popular song parodies (the domain of one-hit wonders), has somehow survived for 40 years to become one of the hottest names in showbiz. How did this happen? From his early years on the Dr. Demento radio show, turning The Knack’s “My Sharona” into “My Bologna,” to his latest album, Mandatory Fun — the first Billboard-topping comedy release in a half-century — Weird Al’s secret has been to deftly walk the fine line between wicked fun and reverent homage. He’s so good at it that he’s outlasted most of the performers he’s parodied. Recently enlisted as the first guest editor in Mad magazine’s long history, Yankovic lands at the Carpenter Theatre on June 11. 7:30 p.m. $45 to $55. 592-3400 or richmondcenterstage.com. —DH

John Mellencamp  6/13

Little pink houses for you and me. John Mellencamp still sings the songs that reflect our country at its most humble and gritty, nearly 40 years after making music his profession. In 1985, with Willie Nelson and Neil Young, he co-founded the Farm Aid concerts, which are still raising money to create awareness of family farms and the challenges they face. When I saw Mellencamp last summer in Raleigh, North Carolina, his voice started out a little rusty but warmed up as the show continued, taking energy from the audience singing along with the familiar choruses. He’ll be at the Altria Theater on June 13, with Carlene Carter (June Carter Cash’s daughter) opening. 7:30 p.m. $39.50 to $118.50. (800) 514-3849 or altriatheater.com. —Kate Andrews

The Castleton Festival   7/2-8/2

The Castleton Festival, just northwest of Culpeper, features some seriously big names in its lineup. But not all of those names belong to musicians. True, Ruth Bader Ginsburg did play cello in high school, but here, she and her colleague Antonin Scalia are characters in a comic opera that will receive its premiere at the festival. For Scalia/Ginsburg, composer Derrick Wang wove the two Supreme Court justices’ own words — including such zingers as “sheer applesauce” and “legalistic argle-bargle” — into a plot that requires them to agree on the Constitution. Featuring tenor John Overholt and soprano Ellen Wieser in the leading roles, the opera will be performed on July 11, 17 and 19 (tickets are $20 to $165). The festival runs weekends July 2 through Aug. 2, offering classical music, theater and opera. castletonfestival.org. —Angela Lehman

Wintergreen Summer Music Festival  7/6-8/2

With snow a distant memory, Wintergreen means music. The mountain resort west of Charlottesville is home to a summer music festival, now under the artistic direction of Erin Freeman, director of the Richmond Symphony Chorus. She’s looking forward to the premiere of a score to Charlie Chaplin’s The Tramp. The work for piano, clarinet and string quintet, composed by Daron Hagen for the Wintergreen festival, will be performed with the movie on July 24 at 7:30 p.m. The festival runs July 6 through Aug. 2. Orchestra concerts happen every weekend, and chamber music ensembles play throughout the week. Wednesday pops concerts include performances by Richmonders John Winn, Desiree Roots and Susan Greenbaum, and the Rootstone Jug Band from Roanoke. $25 to $40 for individual events; packages available. wintergreenperformingarts.org. —AL

Foo Fighters  7/4

This Fourth of July, the Foo Fighters will headline a star-spangled lineup at RFK Stadium in Washington. The show is a homecoming of sorts for leading man Dave Grohl, who grew up in Northern Virginia’s Springfield community and frequented shows at the 9:30 Club during the 1980s. July 4 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Foo Fighters’ self-titled debut album, which is anticipated to make its way onto the set list in select tracks. Joining the Fighters are Chicago blues guitar legend Buddy Guy (after he plays Innsbrook After Hours on July 1), Gary Clark Jr., Trouble Funk, Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, LL Cool J and more. Fireworks are included. 2 p.m. $78. ticketmaster.com. —Henry Lutz

The Hunts  7/17

Of late, Chesapeake has become an unlikely spawning ground for pastoral, family-fronted folk bands. First came The Last Bison, which won breakout airplay with its album Quill, and now we have The Hunts, an acoustic troupe made up of five brothers and two sisters who also traffic in the woodsy, neo-rustic milieu of groups like the Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons. Touring in support of their new release, Those Younger Days, the harmonizing Hunts will descend on Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville on July 17 as part of the E.J. Wade Foundation’s Concerts in the Park series, with the Mako Music Mentor Band and Prospect7. 5:30 p.m. Free, but a $5 donation is suggested to support the foundation’s projects. Find out more and see the rest of the season’s lineup at ejwadefoundation.org. —DH

Keith Sweat  7/24

Is it time for a New Jack Swing revival? No one personifies that late ’80s/early ’90s hip-hop/R&B fusion better than singer Keith Sweat, who may be best known these days as a “quiet storm”-type radio personality. Sweat’s “I Want Her” was a huge hit in 1987, and he followed it with a torrent of popular records and singles throughout the ’90s, including “Twisted” and “Nobody.” When the hits dried up, Sweat transitioned to producing other top-selling R&B artists, like Silk, and joining fellow singers Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill in the supergroup LSG. Now on the comeback trail, Sweat brings the swing to the Altria Theater on July 24, along with Silk and Angie Stone. 8 p.m. $67 to $87. (800) 514-3849 or altriatheater.com. —DH

The Shack Up  8/7-8/8

After honing its craft in a dilapidated Blacksburg building, the Shack Band set out to bring its fusion of funk and rock to the rest of the world. This summer will see the quintet bouncing around the East Coast before settling back in Richmond — now the band’s home — for two days as hosts (and headliners) of the inaugural Shack Up on Aug. 7 and 8. The 48-hour music festival will feature a mix of local bands and regional talent performing at the Camel and the Broadberry each night, with an outdoor stage at the Broadberry providing daylight entertainment. 353-1888 or thebroadberry.com. —Pete Humes

Summer’s Last Stand 8/12

On Aug. 12, Virginia Beach will become the scariest (and loudest) place on the planet when masked metalsmiths Slipknot take over the Farm Bureau Live amphitheater for their Summer’s Last Stand tour. The band will be joined by Richmond’s own Lamb of God, which returns from Europe just in time to stomp, growl and sweat its way across the United States. The Summer’s Last Stand Tour also includes Bullet for My Valentine and Motionless in White. Bring ear protection and leave your love of personal space at home. 6 p.m. $28 and up. (757) 368-3000 or livenation.com.  —PH

GWAR B-Q  8/15

A GWAR B-Q conjures up images of marinated Martian ribs, Venus squirrel skewers and a paper plate of Napalm-ento cheese. Oh, and lots of loud, head-banging, sinus-clearing rock. This year’s annual outdoor homage to all things GWAR sees Richmond’s most audacious band and its chained underlings celebrate 30 years of sensory overload with a slew of bands and other attractions (like a haunted house called “The Crypt of Chaos,” and something called Hamster Balls — don’t ask). It’s also an occasion to observe the one-year anniversary of GWAR founder Dave Brockie’s passing in March 2014, which will lend a bittersweet air to the mayhem. While this year’s musical acts are still being finalized — last year’s outing saw Kepone, the Meatmen, the Misfits and many more — organizers promise “the most ear-bursting, bone-crushing, mouth-watering, belly-bursting, beer-guzzling, nut-bustingest party of this or any summer.” That’s what we love about GWAR — understatement. The sixth annual GWAR B-Q will grill it and kill it on Aug. 15 at Hadad’s Lake. gwarbq.com. —DH

The Beach Boys  8/19

OK, so band leader/songwriter Brian Wilson isn’t playing in vocalist Mike Love’s sandbox at the moment. Do you think that’s going to stop Love’s incarnation of the Beach Boys from touring in the summertime? For die-hard fans, the current lawyer-heavy bad vibes and faceless musical personnel may not be ideal conditions for good timin’, but you can’t deny those glorious, sun-drenched songs and the fresh buzz they elicit, from “Surfin’ USA” and “Fun Fun Fun” to “Catch a Wave” and “Good Vibrations.” (Spare us the “Kokomo,” please.) The Mike Love and Bruce Johnson edition of the Beach Boys plays Innsbrook Pavilion on Aug. 19. 6 p.m. $15 to $99. innsbrookafterhours.com. —DH