MUSIC Holly, Uncle Willie & The Boys, and ChurchYard Grass, tonight at 6, Gospel Chicken House, 14709 Greenwood Church Road, Montpelier. Details: (804) 883-6487 or http://www.gospelchickenhouse.org. Celtic Evensong and Communion, featuring flautist Kathy Whittle and cellist Jonathan Shockley, 5:30 p.m. tomorrow, pre-service music at 5:15, Christ & Grace Episcopal Church, 1545 S. Sycamore St., Petersburg. Details: (804) 733-7202.

Richard Shindell with Antje Duvekot, 8 p.m. at Ashland Coffee & Tea One Love Reggae Festival featuring Capleton, Anthony B and Cocoa T, 8 p.m. at Hat Factory Robert Fleishman (former lead singer in Journey) and The Sky with The Sharp Comfort and Mistaken Identity, 9 p.m. at Alley Katz

MONDAY, NOV. 2 Greater Richmond Chamber offers “Starting a Business 101,“ 11:30 a.m., Hanover Department of Economic Development, 9097 Atlee Station Road, Mechanicsville. Cost: $20. Details: Jackie Carter, (804) 783-9314 or .  “Retirement Planning and 401(k) Rollover Options,“ Merrill Lynch and William Kavanagh, noon, Eighth and Main Building, sixth floor. Registration: William Kavanagh, (804) 343-4226.

Coming up NOV. 10 National Association of Women Business Owners-Richmond meets at 11 a.m., Willow Oaks Country Club, 6228 Forest Hill Ave. Topic: “Increasing Your Bottom Line.“ Cost: $25 for members and $30 for guests. Registration: (804) 346-5644.  NOV. 11 Virginia Franchise Forum meets at 7:30 a.m., the Westwood Club, 6200 West Club Lane. Topic: “Moving from Survival to Growth.“ Speaker: Kate Dunn with Digital Innovation Group. Cost: $20. Details/reservations: Jackie Carter, (804) 783-9314 or

MUSIC Straight Gate, tonight at 6, Gospel Chicken House, 14709 Greenwood Church Road, Montpelier. Details: (804) 883-6487 or http://www.gospelchickenhouse.org.  “Sing Me to Heaven,“ presented by the Adult Choir, 4 p.m. tomorrow, Laurel Presbyterian Church, 9675 Staples Mill Road, Glen Allen. Details: (804) 672-6810. Choral Evensong, featuring the Virginia Girls Choir, 6:45 p.m. Thursday, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 6000 Grove Ave. Details: (804) 288-2867.

Ari Hest, 8 p.m. at Ashland Coffee & Tea Who’s Bad (Michael Jackson tribute), 9 p.m. at Hat Factory Herb Alpert and Lani Hall, 7:30 p.m. at Ferguson Center For the Arts (Newport News)  Zen Daddy, 5 p.m. at downtown Capital Ale House Music Hall; at 10 p.m., Squeeze Box and Crashing Reality

MONDAY, OCT. 26 Career-Prospectors, http://www.career-prospectors.com, a job-search networking group, meets every Monday at 7:30 a.m. in the conference room at Long & Foster, 9321 Midlothian Turnpike. Details: Michael Soden, (804) 594-7065. “A Checks and Balances Strategy,“ hosted by John W. Maloney, vice president of Wealth Management, noon, Capital Ale House, 4024-A Cox Road. RSVP: Annie Eide, (804) 595-9360 or .

MONDAY, OCT. 26 Career-Prospectors, http://www.career-prospectors.com, a job-search networking group, meets every Monday at 7:30 a.m. in the conference room at Long & Foster, 9321 Midlothian Turnpike. Details: Michael Soden, (804) 594-7065. “A Checks and Balances Strategy,“ workshop hosted by John W. Maloney, vice president, wealth management, at Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, noon, Capital Ale House, 4024-A Cox Road. RSVP: Annie Eide, (804) 595-9360 or .

Self-described de-motivator Lawrence Kersten will speak Thursday at the Venture Forum’s “2010 Greater Richmond Companies to Watch” event. Get ready to giggle, guffaw, grimace, snicker and laugh out loud as Kersten talks about the challenges of being an entrepreneur, and about how his company, Despair Inc. (http://www.despair.com) in Texas, got started.

MUSIC Kings Ambassadors, and Virginia Harmonairs, tonight at 6, Gospel Chicken House, 14709 Greenwood Church Road, Montpelier. Details: (804) 883-6487 or http://www.gospelchickenhouse.org.  Dmitir Shteinberg, in concert, 5 p.m. tomorrow, River Road Church, Baptist, 8000 River Road. Details: (804) 288-1131 or http://www.rrcb.org.  SPEAKERS Kathleen Kilpatrick, director, Virginia Department of Historic Resources and state historic preservation officer, on “Sustaining Community Through Historic Preservation,“ 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, forum class, Second Presbyterian Church, 5 N. Fifth St. Details: (804) 649-9148.

David Allan Coe, 8 p.m. at Hat Factory Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, 8 p.m. at The National Randall Bramblett, 8 p.m. at Ashland Coffee & Tea GWAR, 8 p.m. at The National Last Train Home, 8 p.m. at Ashland Coffee & Tea

Complete Metro Business Calendar for Oct. 19 MONDAY, OCT. 19 Career-Prospectors, http://www.career-prospectors.com, a job-search networking group, meets every Monday at 7:30 a.m. in the conference room at Long & Foster, 9321 Midlothian Turnpike. Details: Michael Soden, (804) 594-7065. Capital Region Workforce Network at Goodwill Industries hosts Dominion Virginia Power Energy Assistance & Conservation Fair, 9 a.m., 6301 Midlothian Turnpike. Details: (804) 675-9910.

MONDAY, OCT. 19 Capital Region Workforce Network at Goodwill Industries hosts Dominion Virginia Power Energy Assistance & Conservation Fair, 9 a.m., 6301 Midlothian Turnpike. Details: (804) 675-9910. Greater Richmond Chamber offers “Business Succession Planning,“ 11:30 a.m., Hanover Department of Economic Development, 9097 Atlee Station Road, Mechanicsville. Presenter: Tom Mishoe, president and CEO FinOp$stat Advisors. Registration: http://www.grcc.com; Jackie Carter, (804) 783-9314 or .

Small businesses can help beat the recession with a few cost-effective moves. “Anything that you can reduce from your costs goes straight to the bottom line,“ said Michael McDermott of Henrico County, author of “The 2009-2011 Recession Survival Guide: 414 Actions Businesses Can Take to Weather the Storm and Boost Profits.“ In a recession, “it’s important for your business to be the low-cost competitor,“ said McDermott, who also volunteers as chairman of Richmond SCORE’s Small Business Turnaround Team. “When your costs are lower, when you need to, you can cut your prices.“

MUSIC Amy Ladd & Friends and River of Life, tonight at 6, Gospel Chicken House, 14709 Greenwood Church Road, Montpelier. Details: (804) 883-6487 or http://www.gospelchickenhouse.org. Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, in concert tonight at 8, Shady Grove Coffeehouse, Unitarian Universalist Community Church, 11105 Cauthorne Road, Glen Allen. $17, $15 in advance, ages 12 and younger free, half-price for ages 13-18. Details: