DC Music Review staff picks for:

Sweet Jams

There is so much bluegrass/folk/jam/funk coming at you this week:

• April 24 - We Banjo 3 at Rams Head On Stage -  Hailing from Ireland, this bluegrass-old time folk foursome are credited for, "finding common ground between old world tradition and authentic Americana by plying their banjo, fiddle, guitar and mandolin in an innovation fusion of styles that they dub 'Celtgrass.'" They play seriously hard and with some serious heart, don't miss them on this American leg of their tour.
• April 25 - The Heavy Pets with Magnolia Blue at Pearl Street Warehouse - The Heavy Pets bring us some sunshine and funky rock and roll from Florida. They've been called "a living, breathing force of nature" by Relix magazine, they are known for their songcraft and powerhouse live performances." Pair them with the so-much-fun and funky awesomeness of DC's Magnolia Blue, and you've got a great night ahead of you.
• April 25 - Deadgrass Live at the 8x10 - Made up of multi-instrumentalist Matt Turk and Grammy award winner C. Lanzbom, Deadgrass is a solid, inspired, seasoned acoustic band that marry their appreciation for bluegrass and forJerry Garcia into such a sweet show. So much to love here. 
• April 25 - Ana Popovic at Wolf Trap - Ana Popovic has been described as, "The Serbian Scorcher" who "practically singes the stage when she shreds on the guitar." She has played with legendaries such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., and Joe Bonamassa and is a jaw-droppingly awesome to watch. 
• April 25 - Twiddle with Midnight North at The Jefferson - Twiddle is a fan-favorite jam band who offer up many genres in their grooves and improvise like champs along the way.  See them coupled with the sweet, sweet sounds of North Carolina's Midnight North. 
• April 26 - Southern Avenue at Union Stage - Southern Avenue is Memphis-based five-piece soul blues band that are so very vibrant, heartfelt, and honor their roots while feeling oh so current. Their band is made up of, "Memphis-born, church-bred sisters Tierinii and Tikyra Jackson, respectively a soulful, charismatic singer and a subtle powerful drummer; guitarist Ori Naftaly, an Israeli-born blues disciple who first came to America as an acclaimed solo artist; versatile jazz-inspired bassist Daniel McKee; and keyboardist Jeremy Powell, an early alumnus of Stax's legendary music academy." The real deal, here. Check them out.
• April 26 - Sierra Hull at Wolf Trap-  Sierra Hull has been hailed by NPR as, "one of bluegrass' most celebrated prodigies." As a collaborator with the likes of Alison Krauss and Béla Fleck, don't miss her hitting the stage at Wolf Trap with her, "ethereal voice and fluid mandolin playing."
• April 27 and 28 - Charm City Bluegrass Festival (and don't miss the festival afterparty featuring Jeff Austin Band and Man About a Horse on 4/28 at the 8x10) - "The Baltimore Magazine and IBMA award-winning Charm City Bluegrass Festival is back in Baltimore for its 6th year! Featuring the best in national and regional talent along with a day full of world-class music, food and drinks." Join the fun this weekend this beloved pure-Baltimore festival. 
• April 27 - The Judy Chops record release at Pearl Street Warehouse - This Virginia-based band has so much amazing vocalization and instrumentation and just dog-gone cuteness going on, and they put on a great, lively show. They offer it all up on stage-- amazing harmonies, varied instrumentation, cool rhythms, horns, and strings. Celebrate their newest album at what will be a super-fun record release show.
• April 28 - Old Crow Medicine Show at The Anthem - The well-loved and well-deserving Grammy award winning Americana String Band, Old Crow Medicine Show is bringing their "boundless energy and spirit" to the Anthem to celebrate their fresh (as of this week!) album release, Volunteer.  
• April 28 - Margo Price with Aaron Lee Tasjan at The Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville - Margo Price with her sweet honeysuckle voice has been described as, "one of East Nashville’s best-kept-secrets." Her first solo album debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard’s Country Albums and NPR music described her album as, “the hard-won arrival of an artist who feels like she’s always been here.” Check her out with Aaron Lee Tasjan, who sounds so accessibly, nostalgically Elliot Smith and Beatles-esque (yet so fresh and current) to me, but more importantly is making waves with his smart songs. 
• April 29 - Jon Stickley Trio at Pearl Street Warehouse - From Asheville, North Carolina, the Jon Stickley Trio (Stickley on flat-pick guitar, Lyndsay Pruett on violin, and new addition Hunter Deacon on drums), is a progressive ensemble rooted in the traditions of bluegrass, as well as Gypsy jazz and folk-punk. "With inspiration ranging from from Green Day to Duran Duran to Tony Rice to Nirvana, Grateful Dead, David Grisman and beyond, the Trio is making waves with their unique sound."

Hidden Gems

All of these are hand-picked, curated just for you. They are the amazing opportunities right here that allow you to experience something up-close and personal, mind-changing, different from your usual, or just plain cool. 

• April 23 - Finding the Groove in Your Songwriting with Drew Kid at Strathmore Mansion - Join current Strathmore Artist-In-Residence Drew Kid as he covers how "composers can effectively articulate their vision and navigate competition within a band’s rhythm section. In this master class-style workshop, aspiring arrangers, composers, and songwriters will leave empowered after analyzing works from the best architects of soul, funk, and hip-hop using examples from Junie Morrison, Sly Stone, OutKast, and others." Free with registration.
• April 23 - Stars with Dan Mangan at 9:30 Club - Canadian indie pop/rock band Stars returns to DC with their sweet harmonies and melodies and dirty guitars. They often feel like the cool cousin of the band Metric, what's not to love there, and seeing them perform at the 9:30 Club is a real treat. Joining them is Vancouver's Dan Mangan, the two-time JUNO award winning and two-time Polaris Music Prize listed musician and songwriter.
• April 24 - KNOWER at Gypsy Sally's - LA's Genevieve Artadiis and Louis Cole make up the independent electronic music duo KNOWER who (gush gush) are coming to blow the soundboard and minds off of DC. Self-described as, "a searing hot music group...spear-heading a new musical movement," they are bold, they have a clear voice, they harken back to the 80s, forward to the nether, and they describe their whole purpose as the need to, "create deep feelings through their music." Well hot damn, KNOWER, DC is so excited to see and hear you! 
• April 24 - Kaia Kater at Institute of Musical Traditions - This is going to be a special show. I hadn't heard of Kaia Kater but after reading and listening to her online, I am so excited for this show. From her site: "Born of African-Caribbean descent in Québec, Kaia Kater grew up between two worlds: one her family’s deep ties to Canadian folk music in her Toronto home; the other the years she spent learning and studying Appalachian music in West Virginia. Her acclaimed debut album Sorrow Bound (May 2015) touched on this divide, but her (latest) album, Nine Pin (May 2016), delves even further, and casts an unflinching eye at the realities faced by people of color in North America every day. Her songs on the album are fueled by her rich low tenor vocals, jazz-influenced instrumentation, and beautifully understated banjo, and they’ve got as much in common with Kendrick Lamar right now as they do with Pete Seeger." I'm intrigued and can't wait to catch this show. 
• April 25 - nah. and Pleasure Train at Gypsy Sally's - It's easy to become enamored by these two DC bands, nah. and Pleasure Train. The band nah., fronted by the insightful and intelligent poet/singer/songstress Emma Bleker, gently takes hold of your hand and doesn't let go. Their collective songwriting is personal, melodies transfixing, musicianship heartfelt, and their ability to reach out and connect with the audience makes you feel like you're among friends. Pleasure Train, fronted by the mesmerizing Valerie Vega, brings energy, sensuality, and groove with their fusion style of alt-jam-pop-house. These two bands who are making waves in the DMV, don't miss them.
• April 26 - Land of Talk and Distant Creatures at Songbyrd - Since Elizabeth Powell formed Land of Talk in 2006, the one certainty in her life has been uncertainty, as her band has gone from being one of Montreal's most brash, buzzy indie rock acts to one of its most elusive and enigmatic. After recording Land of Talk's debut EP, Applause Cheer Boo Hiss, Elizabeth experienced a series of personal hurdles through the years, yet emerged triumphent through her music.  
• April 26, 27, 28 - Andersson Dance and Scottish Ensemble: Goldberg Variations at Kennedy Center - If you know a little bit about classical music, you might recognize Bach's iconic Goldberg Variations. This is a really cool way to experience them in a current, vital, take-your-breath-away fashion. Described as such: "Art forms merge and surge with sublime synergy as Stockholm-based Andersson Dance and Glasgow-based Scottish Ensemble become true partners, interacting onstage in a seamless display of talent. Johann Sebastian Bach's sparkling masterpiece comes to stunning life through a whirlwind of movement and sound in this entrancing collaboration." Just check this out, and you might find yourself needing to experience it live.
• April 28 - Cut Chemist with El Dusty and Shortkut at Union Stage - Cut Chemist, aka Lucas MacFadden is a sick DJ who blends funk, jazz, soul, hip-hop, and found sounds into a sweet mystic brew. Get-down up-close while he shares the turntable stage with El Dusty whose aesthetic, "is an effortless rendering of his palette for old school sounds thanks to growing up in a home soundtracked by Tejano anthems, Chicano soul music, classic rock, ‘70s Latin soul. ...balanced by a solid education in hip-hop, and house music," and Shortkut, "a founding member of three of the most iconic and influential DJ crews in history - Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Beat Junkie Sound and Triple Threat DJs."
• April 28 - Joy Ike for her "Bigger Than Your Box" Album Release Concert and debut at BloomBars - Joy Ike is fresh and her vibe is infectious, real, important. She is described as, "polished and precise, yet buoyed with an airy grace, Joy Ike paints with a broad palette that defies easy categorization." The singer/songwriter has been compared to female musicians such as Nina Simone, Laura Nyro, and Regina Spektor. Born to Nigerian immigrants, her "percussive piano-playing and soaring vocals give homage to her African upbringing."  I thought this video of her sharing herself/her music says so much.

Living Legends/Current Loves

​You likely know and maybe love some of these current artists and living legendaries who are gracing our fine DMV with their insane talent.

• April 26 and 27 - Beck with Kimbra (4/26) and with Torres (4/27) at The Anthem
• April 26 - Chuck Brown Band at Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center - free
• April 26 - Meshell Ndegeocello at Kennedy Center at 7p and at 9p
• April 28 - Dweezil Zappa - Choice Cuts! Tour, plus guitar Masterclass at 3p that afternoon at The Hamilton
• April 29 - Brian McKnight at The Warner Theater
• April 29 and 30 - Suzanne Vega performing Solitude Standing and 99.9F at City Winery DC
• April 29 - Judy Collins at Rams Head On Stage
• April 29 - Herb Alpert & Lani Hall at The Birchmere

Incredible Local DMV Talent 

You can see amazing local talent practically every night. This is just a small DC-focused bite of the deliciousness out there. (And there are so many more opportunities to support local musicians across the entire DMV, check your local listings!) 

• April 25 - Justin Trawick at Louisa Hall at Dupont Underground - These two talented and fabulous DC songwriters/artists/friends are fresh off a new album release and are playing at the amazingly cool Dupont Underground. They say, "If you like fun, you will like this show. If you don't like fun, you'll probably like it too and you'll wonder what that warm feeling in your stomach is. It's joy. You're welcome." This show will make you feel and smile.
• April 26 - Piramid Scheme (EP release), Doll Baby, Opin at the Dew Drop Inn DC - Piramind Scheme's, "glam garage" direct from DC will unveil their debut EP, Get Rick Quick Too along with Richmond bands Doll Baby and Opin.
• April 27 - Flowerbomb and Weston Smith at Epicure Cafe - Hear DC's Flowerbomb alternative, shoegaze, power pop sound with DC's Weston Smith, whose recent album Deep Slumber shares, "the current path of his emotional battle with mental illness and the hope he has for a brighter future." 
• April 28 - Decolonized Beatz - This event is described as, "a night of art, poetry, music, and community engagement to celebrate the talents of DMV area Black and Indigenous artists," featuring a Screening of RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World and artists Selena Benally of More AM Than FM, BOOMscat, Camisha Jones of The Deaf, Poets Society & Split This Rock, Ahanu On , Xemi the Two-Spirit, The Sanctuaries, Jen Deerinwater, Samantha Fikir, Khadijah Carr of Black Lives Matter DC Writing Workshop, Check It Enterprises, HIPS and more.
• April 29 - Chris Forsyth, Boat Burning (EP release), East Ghost - "Melding elements of classical music and punk, Boat Burning is a DC-based experimental music collective that plays "maximum minimalism," an intricate hybrid of composition and improvisation. The result is majestic, powerful music that combines the panoramic sweep of classical with the sheer physical thrall of punk." Check them out for their EP release show with Philly's Chris Forsyth, " a lauded guitarist and composer whose work assimilates art-rock textures with vernacular American influences" and DC's East Ghost (cool name), who "combine influences of jazz, blues, ambient and melodic rock to explore themes of distance, distortion, and loss of connection."
• April 29 - The DMV Hip Hop Showcase at Milkboy - Check out hip-hop's future talent coming out of our area at the DMV's Hip-Hop Showcase at College Park's Milkboy featuring Khan The Great as well as Michael Millions, GUMP, K.eye.d, KingQuan, AnkleJohn, and LulBigBrother.