Week Of:  April 16-22, 2018

Feeling lifted.

Summary:

People are feeling high with some summertime weather kindly hitting us in Spring. Also, there's a pungent buzz about April 20 floating around the District. Lots of shows that night with particularly dope themes that we're making sense of below.

Top Picks:

DC Music Review Staff Must-See Shows - these are some of the shows that DCMR staff are buzzing about

• April 16 and 17 - P!NK at Capital One Arena - I've only heard and seen videos of P!NK putting on a stellar, heartfelt, exciting yet intimate-even-in-a-large-venue show. Here's your chance to see her get aerodynamic as part of her 2018 Beautiful Trauma Tour.  
• April 17 - Ghost Light at Gypsy Sally's - This past week, DCMR's Josh Brick posted a sweet interview with Ghost Light, "a new project, a true musical collaboration on its inaugural tour, featuring outstanding talent well known to the DC area: five personalities, five perspectives, and five unique approaches towards one common sound." In the interview, the band discusses how rather than initially playing shows, these five talented musicians threw caution to the wind and played together for the first time in a recording studio to see what magic ensued, allowing them to "come to the project with fresh ears and without pre-conceived notions." Check out the full article here and then check out the band, with VA's own Threesound opening, at Gypsy Sally's on Tuesday night.
• April 18 - Rick Astley at The Lincoln Theater - not rolling you here, it's for real. The one and only Rick Astley, with his distinctive voice and catchy as anything pop, is playing HERE, yes HERE in DC for you to see. Heralding from England and on his US tour which has been selling out, this will be a fun night to know the musician and man behind the legend.  
• April 19 - Steep Canyon Rangers at The Hamilton - The Grammy award-winning, North Carolina based sextet, the Steep Canyon Rangers, has spent nearly twenty years, "bending and shaping the bluegrass aesthetic, wedding it to elements of pop, country, folk rock, and more to create something original and all their own." Catch them on tour for their new album, Out In The Open at the ever-awesome venue, The Hamilton. 
• April 19 - Extra Dirty Thursday with Dirty Grass Players/Dirty Blanket/Fried Pickin' at 8x10 - Come see the sweet sweet newgrass bluegrass sounds of the Dirty Grass Players, along with New Yorker's Dirty Blanket's string-slingin' bluegrass, and Fried Pickin' who won the 2015 Charm City Folk and Bluegrass Festival- Battle of the Bands. Bring extra napkins because you're gonna lose your sleeves after the first couple of songs. 
• April 19 and 20 - Dr. Dog with Kyle Craft - April 19 at The National and April 20 at The Jefferson Theater -  Dr. Dog, well, I love them. They sound both fresh and familiar to me every time I hear them. They come from Philly and describe themselves as, "part of a long tradition of D.I.Y. pop oddballs who blend unapologetic '60s pop worship with lo-fi recording techniques and an apparent disregard for current trends." They also put on a great show.  Opening is Louisiana- native Kyle Craft, who I never heard of but read from his description, "...he’s not the born product of a musical family, and bands never came through town–it was only a chance trip to K-Mart that gave him his first album, a David Bowie hits compilation that helped inspire him eventually to channel his innate feral energy into songwriting and rock and roll." Also, the real deal. If you're in Richmond or Charlottesville this week, this is a best bet. 
• April 19 and 20 - McCoy Tyner Quartet featuring Sherman Irby at Blues Alley - Born in Philly in 1938, McCoy Tyner is a true legend. His, "blues-based piano style, replete with sophisticated chords and an explosively percussive left hand has transcended conventional styles to become one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music." Here's an opportunity to see him live, performing with his quartet at the intimate Blues Alley.
• April 19, 20, and 21 - Average White Band on April 19 at at Rams Head On Stage and April 20/21 at The Birchmere - You know their songs and apparently they lay it down just like they did back in the day. The AWB is currently touring with two of their founding members and are playing their well-loved classics as you know them while also reworking some of their originals and other funk tunes into their sets. You have three changes to check them out as they hit the DMV with their groove.
• April 20 and 21 - The Decemberists with Tennis - April 20 at The National and April 21 at The Anthem - After a four-year hiatus, The Decemberists are back with a bang, touring their new, rather incredible album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World.  Self-described as their, "most varied and dynamic work, both musically and emotionally," it sounds to me like a labour of love that resulted from the band taking time to live their lives and delve deep into other projects and come back somehow altered. Opening for them is minimalist pop duo, indie favs Tennis. 
• April 20 and 21 - Lotus with Staycation at 9:30 Club - Described as both an electronic dance and instrumental post-rock band, Lotus is unique, current, and has been playing together for long enough to know exactly who they want to be. Catch them on 4/20 (and also 4/21) with opening local favs Staycation, whose sound is "built on a foundation of dance-inducing grooves, powerful horns, gritty psychedelic rock, and topped off with infectious vocal hooks." It's a win-win, dance your tail off combo.
• April 21 - Rockn' to Lockn' Finale - Infinity Downs Farm - The ROCKN' to LOCKN’ Finale is your chance to support six of Virginia’s very best bands who are all vying for a spot to play at this summer's LOCKN' festival in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. For more details, check out DCMR's write-up about the finale here and then come support these talented VA finalists at this pre-festival festival.
• April 21 - Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain at Strathmore - This. Band. Is. Insanely. Fun. The Orchestra was formed in 1985 as a "group of all-singing, all-strumming Ukulele players, using instruments bought with loose change." They had a gig, sold out, and have been a hit ever since. Look them up on YouTube and you'll see why. Better yet, check them out live at the incredible Strathmore for a night that will have you smiling ear-to-ear. (Be forewarned, you may catch the uke bug if you go. It's bitten me already and I couldn't be happier about it.)
• April 21 - The Record Company with The Suitcase Junket at The Jefferson Theater - “Caught halfway between the stomp of mid-century rock & roll and the soulful kick of Delta blues, the Record Company kick up a raw, rootsy racket,” raved Rolling Stone. The Record Company hit gold straight out of the pocket, being nominated for a Grammy just over a year after releasing their debut album. Catch them in Charlottesville The Suitcase Junket, a Swamp-yankee, throat-singing, slide guitar playing one-man-band.

Happening on Friday, 4/20: 

Here are our recommendations for shows throughout the DMV.