2023 Flowers After 5 Lineup!

 

May 18 – Kendall Street Company, a genre-fluid, eclectic rock ensemble that has drawn varied comparisons to the dynamic jams of Umphrey’s McGee and Widespread Panic, songwriting prowess of John Prine, experimental psychedelia of Pink Floyd, progressive jazz-infused rock of Frank Zappa, and off-color humor of Ween and They Might Be Giants. Including elements of crowd participation, off-the-cuff comedic bits, haphazard choreography, musical improvisation, and surprise musical guests, each Kendall Street Company concert is an experience unlike any other.

May 25 – Kozy Cats are the convergence of friends who got the band back together – with stellar results. The musical pedigrees for this group of locals are too long and wide to list, but include appearances on Soul Train, piano-playing with Chubby Checker, and week-long stands at the legendary Peppermint Beach Club. Currently this group is delighting audiences with danceable covers of Wilson Pickett, Herman’s Hermits, David Bowie, and a couple dozen more soul & pop artists. This performance will feature the mighty Kozy Cats Horns, ensuring a rollicking good time for everyone.

June 1 – PRIDE Kick-Off Night in partnership with VA PRIDE, featuring cocktails, drag performances, and a dance party with music from DJ Statistics! As night falls, be sure to enjoy the Conservatory as it is illuminated in pride colors for the month of June.

June 8 – Landon Elliott is an old spirit, and it shows in his voice. Its rasp and grain – forged in North Carolina’s huge-sky Outer Banks – bring his songs so resonantly to life that by rights it should belong to a much older person. That impression is accentuated by his mountain-man build and beard…but, mainly, it’s the voice that strikes you. Elliott’s tunes tell stories about a way of life and what happens when you break away from it, and his singing hits you in the gut. If he makes you reconsider your own world-view, he’ll be happy: the reason he makes music is to let people know he’s in their corner.

June 15 – The Jangling Reinharts, providing roots-rock music largely forgotten by other bands. Think: The Band meets Van Morrison and they go out to Stephen Stills’ house and listen to the Monkees while watching a Barenaked Ladies video. This melting pot of music describes what they are all about. This four-piece mixes popular cover songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s (along with the occasional TV theme song…just to see who’s listening). Beautiful vocal harmonies, superb finger-style on the lead guitar, and a knack for playing the right song at the right time set this band apart from the rest.

June 22 – The Sweet Potatoes, a 4-piece jazz band playing a modern take on jazz classics.

June 29 – Abrams Bridge, a band of brothers performing all of The Boss’s biggest hits, live staples and deep cuts! A tribute to the one and only Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!

July 6 – Hazeltone, a regional Roots Rock original music band has been playing their songs for the last 10 years with the bands influences coming from The Doors, John Mayer, Neil Young and others.

July 13 – The Donnybrooks, an acoustic string band from Richmond, VA. Featuring a singer/guitarist, a multi-instrumentalist, and one of RVA’s finest fiddlers, this band plays lots of foot-stomping, crowd-pleasing, Southern-Fried Irish music. Their repertoire runs the gamut from The Rolling Stones, over to Hank (Sr.), dipping a toe into Bluegrass, with a hefty dose of traditional Irish music, and many other selections from Americana classics.

July 20 – Jay Brown’s Grace Street Seven is a vintage style Jazz Septet that performs songs in the tradition of early American dance bands from the 1920s-1930s. Renowned as the little band with a BIG sound, this versatile group specializes in playing Victrola record transcriptions of Jazz Age classics from the likes of Al Bowlly, Cole Porter, Fletcher Henderson, Ray Noble and Irving Berlin. The instrumental line-up includes trumpet, clarinet, saxophone, tenor banjo, piano, upright bass and percussion/drums. Full of sophistication and exuding the nostalgia of early American Jazz, expect a dapper yet cheeky performance with a few fun surprises.

July 27 – Whiskey Rebellion: Drawing on their diverse musical backgrounds, The Whiskey Rebellion mix the spontaneity of bluegrass, the collectiveness of jazz, and the urgency of rock and roll to create their own unique take on everything from traditional bluegrass to anthemic party favorites. The band covers a wide array of artists ranging from The Beatles to The Talking Heads to Guns ‘n’ Roses, but their approach is always steeped in their acoustic roots and uniquely lends itself to being both listenable and danceable.

August 3 – Dead Letter Officers: born through an undying love of the jangle, Richmond’s R.E.M. merchants, the Dead Letter Officers, focus on early R.E.M. music from the early to late 1980s! Waking at the dawn of the college rock movement, DLO recreates the early 1980’s energy and song craft of R.E.M. that became the soundtrack to countless college road trips and all night dance parties throughout the South. Though they would later become the biggest band in the world for a time, at their beginning, R.E.M. was an intelligent, rocking bar band with rollicking songs and presence. DLO brings to life R.E.M.’s early sets in a live setting, recreating the IRS – era recordings with tireless enthusiasm. DLO creates a musical cacophony that harkens back to a simpler, more exciting time.

August 10 – Soul Providers, Richmond’s premier Soul Band for over 20 years. Led by original member, Steve Webb on vocals and harp, this group brings their own unique mixture of gritty 60’s soul and hard driving blues to the party. If you like to dance, Soul Providers delivers the goods, featuring accomplished musicians whose resumes include years of experience performing with other regional and national acts, including Percy Sledge, Delbert McClinton, and the Charlie Daniels Band.

August 17 – River City Band, local RVA bluegrass

August 24 – Natalie Brooke, a 4-piece funk/rock band from the DC area that will be supplying all the funky dance jams to our stage to kick off the season! From upbeat guitar rhythms & synth breakdowns to tight drum grooves & sultry bass lines, this band knows how to bring the party. Don’t miss one of the hottest up & coming acts in the local music scene shred on piano, organ, and keytar for the evening!

August 31 – Jackass Flats, an ultra-talented Virginia quintet comes from a long-standing bluegrass tradition but creates a wholly original sound by weaving their melting pot of acoustic roots music with the sounds of electric rock’n’roll. Jackass Flats combines a unique blend of jam band rhythms with twangy versions of contemporary hits that can elevate any event into a unique, rousing experience. Expect a repertoire that runs the gamut from Johnny Cash to The Beatles, Willie Nelson to Prince, Smokey Robinson to The Rolling Stones, all delivered with warm southern charm and infectious energy.

September 7 – The Original Elbe-Musikanten German Band will play the traditional style of German, Austrian, Czech and Slovak music such as polkas, marches, waltzes as well as other favorites.