Week Of:  April 30-May 6, 2018

Get sleeveless.

Summary:

The weather is finally letting us go see music without jackets, so get out there and get sweaty with these fine picks! 

DCMR Staff Picks - these are some of the sweet shows that DCMR staff are checking out

• April 30 - Modest Mouse at The Anthem 
• April 30 - Suzanne Vega at City Winery DC (Note: catch this! She is playing Solitude Standing and 99.9 degree in FULL at this sweet, new, intimate venue. This is one not to miss!)
• May 2 - Jonny Grave at Pearl Street Warehouse
• May 3-6 - Joshua Redman Quartet at Blues Alley (Note: four nights of Joshua Redman? Yes, please. No reason not to catch one of these shows.)
• May 3 - Hayley Jane & The Primates at The 8x10 (Note: DCMR just LOVES Hayley Jane & The Primates. See here and here and here. It's because she and her band deliver so hard, you won't want to blink.)
• May 3 - Alvvays with Frankie Rose at The Broadberry (Note: Sold out, but, there's always people who get sick at the last minute, thanks Craigslist!)
• May 4 - TAUK with Of Tomorrow + Deaf Scene at 9:30 Club
• May 4 - Esperanza Spalding at Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium 
• May 4 - Cheikh Ndoye & Friends with Guests of Honor Baaba Maal & Faada Freddy at Union Stage
• May 4 - The Temptations & The Four Tops at MGM National Harbor
• May 5 - Psycho Killers (Talking Heads Tribute) at Gypsy Sally's and catch Wilber's Redemption free show next door at the Vinyl Lounge
• May 5 - Steal Your Peach with Ron Holloway and Cousin Earth at the 8x10 (Note: Cousin Earth blew my socks off last time I saw them in DC. They released their newest album, "Human Music" this week and it is all at once masterful, funky, and fun. Their on-stage presence is infectious, what can be better than seeing them open for Philly favorites Steal Your Peach with the legendary Ron Holloway, who plays with all heart all the time.)
• May 5 - Ani DiFranco with Gracie & Rachel at the 9:30 Club
• May 5 - Cowboy Junkies at Rams Head On Stage
• May 5 - Chopteeth at Pearl Street Warehouse
• May 6 - Buckethead at The Jefferson Theater (Note: Check out the DCMR review of this show when he hit The State Theater last week and blew minds.)
• May 6 - An Evening with Mavis Staples and Special Guests Alison Krauss, Bruce Hornsy, and Neko Case (Note: This is the 2018 Kennedy Center Spring Gala Concert, and what a line-up! Mavis Staples will lead you through her 60-plus year catalog of music with these very special guests.)

Hidden Gem Shows: shows that maybe aren't on your radar but should be because they are cool

• May 1 - Duke Ellington on Film: A screening and lecture by Harvey G. Cohen at AFI (Note: Not a live music show, but an amazing opportunity to hear from Harvey G. Cohen, author of "Duke Ellington's America," as he presents rare movie clips featuring DC native Duke Ellington who made pioneering use of early sound film not only to perform but to promote his status as one of America's great bandleaders. )
• May 1 - Piramid Schemes with Short Lives and Olivia & The Mates at Black Cat
• May 1 - Liz Durette, Sahba Sizdahkhani, Nik Francis at Rhizome DC
• May 2 - Benefit Show: Songs of Protest, Hope, & Outrage at Gypsy Sally's (Note:  This is a full-music line up with proceeds to benefit MSD Shine Fund/Broward Education Foundation supporting victims and families at Stoneman Douglas H.S.)
• May 3 - Feedel Band -Ethiopian Funk, Soul, and Jazz at Bossa
• May 4 - Caleb Stine & The Brakemen with Skribe and The Perennials at Metro Gallery
• May 5 - Parlor Walls, tk Echo, Pearie Sol at Rhizome DC
• May 5 - Speedy Ortiz with Soccer Mommy and Gobbinjr at Black Cat
• May 6 - GoGo Penguin at The Hamilton

Jams/Meet-Ups: if you're a musician or in the industry, here are ways to connect to make the magic happen

• April 30 - Jamonday at Epicure Cafe (Note: "You: Bring your instrument(s) and open-minded jam-spirit to Epicure Café. We'll provide the drum set, mics, amps, and pedalboards. We even have a freakin' DJ spinning in between jam sets!")
• May 1 - Gordon Sterling Presents The Gypsy Sally's Jam at Gypsy Sally's
• May 2 - Neel Singh's Open Jam and Workshop at Villain & Saint
• May 3 - Rock Women of Baltimore - Happy Hour Meetup and Film Screening - De Kleine Duivel (Note: "This is a happy hour meetup and film screening of Kerri Koch's documentary "Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl." In addition we will be joined by local filmaker KC Oden who will give a sneak preview of her documentary "From the Back of the Room," chronicling women's involvement in and views on the punk music scene, including commentary on sexism, racism, sexuality and queer participation in punk. Open to anyone interested in women and female-identified individuals in rock music.")
• May 3 - DC Music Industry Open House + Local Showcase at Union Stage - (Note: DC-area musicians, managers, sound persons, media professionals and other music-related persons: come on down to Union Stage to network over drinks and food in our brand new venue space! We'll be launching our brand new industry association, The DC Music Industry Group, in conjunction with Mayor Bowser's 202Creates initiative.")
• May 4 - The Auld Jam at Auld Shebeen
• May 6 - Mashriq Maghrib Music Jam Session with Huda Asfour at Bossa (Note: "This improvisational session delves into the repertoire of the Arab region and neighboring cultures. Bring your instruments, your voices, and song requests!") 

Here are some of our recommendations for shows throughout the DMV.