Cher returns to the Verizon Center. Erasure returns to the 9:30 Club. Brandi Carlile kicks off the season at the Barns at Wolf Trap. And the Library of Congress offers a concert featuring not one, not two, but three leading Broadway composers. All that, plus the von Trapps are here, there — all of a sudden, seemingly everywhere. D.C.’s hills are alive with music this fall, that’s for sure.
But Jennifer Holliday at the Howard Theatre is just one more of the many established gay divas dropping by D.C. this season. And Betty Who isn’t the only newer diva worthy of your time. From Alice Russell to Paloma Faith, Valerie June to Goapele, there are plenty of fresh sounds to be found all around.
2014 SONIC CIRCUITS
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center 8230 Georgia Ave. Silver Spring 301-608-9101 dc-soniccircuits.org
This year’s annual Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music moves to Pyramid Atlantic. Among the roughly 30 acts scheduled to perform this year: Insect Ark, Lazurite, Mind Over Matter Music Over Mind, Chester Hawkins, xambuca, Anthony Pirog, Bee vs. Moth, Mia Zabelka, BLK w/Stylus Tagkestra, fission/vosh/fusion and The Subtle Body Transmission Orchestra. (10/3-5)
Hawthorne Heights & The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus — TWLOHA presents The Hope Revolution Tour (9/14)
Ty Segall — Rocker praised by NPR Music critics for his newest album, which is thankfully just about the farthest thing from anything you’d ever hear on NPR (9/15)
OK Go — A hometown show for lead singer Damian Kulash (9/16)
The Drums (9/17)
Metronomy w/Dawn Golden (9/17)
Clean Bandit — There’s no place you’d “Rather Be” tonight than checking out this new British string-based synth-pop act (9/18)
Erasure — An original British synth-pop act returns for what will surely rank as one of your favorite concerts all year (9/19-20)
Shovels and Rope (9/21)
MO (9/22)
Bonobo — A DJ set from this twee soul-tipped electronica act, presented by U Street Music Hall (9/26)
Jazz Masters with John Eaton — Jazz pianist, musicologist and humorist brings to the Alden his popular lectures about the Great American Songbook, including: The Master: The Glorious Songs of Jerome Kern (10/4);
Richard Rogers: One Man and His Lyricists (1/13/15)
Vocal Trash — Led by creator/producer Steve Linder and child star Kelsey Rae (Broadway’s Annie), this green-minded ensemble describes its show as “Glee meets Stomp” (10/18)
Andes Manta (11/22)
ARTISPHERE
1101 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, Va. 703-875-1100 artisphere.com
Vieux Farka Touré w/Elikeh — Malian guitarist dubbed “the Hendrix of the Sahara” with an opening set from D.C.’s own Afro-pop band (9/12)
Toumani Diabate & Sidiki Diabate — — Well-known West African musician touring with his eldest son (10/3)
Las Cafeteras — A very Los Angeles band, mixing punk with hip-hop, cumbia and Latin rhythms (10/10)
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Blues — Blurring the line between West African and American roots music (10/24)
Laura Tsaggaris — Inspired by live recordings from Nirvana, Ani DiFranco and Erykah Badu, performing selected highlights from her catalog for a Live at the Atlas set (9/26-27)
Second Hand Rose — Alternative Chinese rock band with the look of Chinese opera (10/10)
The Dickens Campaign with Ryan Keberle’s Catharsis — Georgia roots music collides with jazz in this collaboration between percussionist Deric Dickens and a jazz trombonist with his piano-less quartet (10/11)
Black Rock Opera Society: Electric Pharaoh — A futuristic Egyptian tale and set to a synthesis of garage rock and larger-than-life electronic sounds, this is the sixth original show and second to travel down the parkway from this company (10/31-11/2)
Make Them Hear You: AN LGBT Singer-Songwriter Showcase — Justin Ritchie hosts an open-mic night designed to showcase gay musical artists from around the area and beyond (11/7)
Library Late: Nels Cline Singers — The Library of Congress co-presents a concert by this “free jazz” ensemble led by the Wilco guitarist with two other musicians, none of whom, despite the name, actually sing (11/8)
Hailu Mergia w/Low Mentality — Beloved Ethiopian band leader and multi-instrumentalist has joined with a bass- and beat-oriented rock band led by Nikhil P. Yerawadekar, creating an intriguing, of-the-moment style of Afro-rock with hip-hop and calypso influences (11/22)
Brandi Carlile — Rootsy folk/rock lesbian powerhouse kicks off the Barns’ new season (10/6-7)
Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan — Punch Brother banjo pioneer teams up with the Nashville Bluegrass Band’s finest fiddler for a masterful acoustic showcase (10/8)
Loudon Wainwright III — Classic blues melodies and piercing wit from this veteran singer-songwriter and father of Rufus, Martha and Lucy (10/9)
newmyer Flyer Tributes: The Everly Brothers — Paying tribute to the country-influenced rock, a signature sound of the mid-20th century (10/11)
Sam Amidon with Bill Frisell — Rising folk artist and revolutionary jazz guitarist team up for a showcase of timeless Americana (10/16)
Masters of Hawaiian Music — Melodic island music from some of Hawaii’s finest players in their Wolf Trap debut (11/17)
Paula Cole — “I Don’t Want to Wait” to see this ’90s-era pop singer-songwriter return to Wolf Trap, and you don’t have to either (10/19)
Kathy Mattea — This country/bluegrass star returns to the Barns three years after her last visit (10/22-23)
Marcia Ball — Grammy-nominated pianist and singer-songwriter blends Cajun swamp rock with Texas blues (10/25)
The Bad Plus — Audacious and pop-centric jazz trio (10/26)
Jim Brickman — Soothing piano-driven melodies by this singer-songwriter and radio show host (10/29-30)
Eddie Money — The ’80s hitmaker offers “Two Tickets to Paradise” if you just “Take Me Home Tonight” (11/1)
Justin Hayward — Legendary guitarist of the Moody Blues offers acoustic versions of his old and new songs (11/6-7)
James Cotton — A blues legend and perhaps one of the best harmonica players of all time (11/20)
Chris Smither & The Motivators — Finger-style guitar wizard showcases his gritty but gorgeous songs (11/21-22)
John Eaton — Renowned pianist and musicologist delivers renditions of cherished American songs (11/28)
Stephen Kellogg — Soulful guitar-playing rock songwriter (11/29)
Over The Rhine — Uplifting Midwestern Americana duo makes its Wolf Trap debut (12/5)
THE BIRCHMERE
3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria 703-549-7500 birchmere.com
Melissa Ferrick w/Natalia Zukerman — The lesbian guitar goddess with another great folk-rocker and fellow Michigan Womyn’s Festival performer (9/12)
The Manhattans — Featuring Gerald Alston and Blue Lovett (9/13)
The Paul Thorn Band (9/14)
British Invasion Tour 2014 — Already sold out, some hit singers from the 1960s “sharing the stage for the first time ever,” including Terry Sylvester of the Hollies, Chad & Jeremy, Mike Pender of the Searchers and Denny Laine of the Moody Blues (9/15)
Justin Townes Earle w/American Aquarium (9/16-17)
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (9/18)
The Wailin’ Jennys — Saturday night show is already sold out (9/19-20)
Tower of Power (9/25)
38 Special (9/26)
Maysa & Her Jazz Funk Soul Orchestra (9/27)
Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mt. Boys (9/28)
Lori McKenna & Carrie Rodriguez (10/2)
Hangtown Dancehall — Eric Brace & Karl Straub perform with special guests including Kelly Willis, Trent Wagler, Alan MacEwen, Peter Cooper — even local cultural critic and onetime Signature Theatre star Robert Aubry Davis (10/3)
Keiko Matsui (10/4)
Jarabe De Palo — In the Flex Stage (10/5)
Macy Gray – The Way Tour 2014 (10/7)
Esperanza Spalding — “Thank You October,” the birth-month of this jazz bassist, a Grammy-honored Best New Artist, who performs in her honor with longtime collaborators Leo Genovese and Lyndon Rochelle (10/8)
Gaelic Storm — A Celtic rock band from California (10/17)
Andy McKee (10/19)
Robert Earl Keen — Two nights of shows, the first an acoustic evening in the Music Hall (10/20), and then an electric “Request Show” in the Flex Stage (10/21)
The Marshall Tucker Band (10/22)
John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band — Featuring John Jorgenson, Herb Pedersen, Jon Randall and Mark Fain, along with Nathan McEuen (10/23)
Steep Canyon Rangers (10/24)
Mary Black — Last Call Tour with Roison O. (10/25)
Los Lobos — The “La Bomba” hitmakers perform the Grammy-winning set La Pistola Y El Corazon in its entirety (10/29)
Laurie Anderson — “Language of the Future” (10/30)
Gerald Albright (10/31)
Sinead O’Connor — Nothing compares to this Irish firecracker with a self-proclaimed boss, not bossy, attitude (11/1)
Acoustic Alchemy (11/2)
Richard Marx — “Whatever We Started” Tour, and whatever that was is surely “Right Here Waiting” (11/3)
James McMurtry Band (11/4)
Delbert McClinton w/Andy Poxon (11/5)
Electric Guitars featuring Eric Johnson & Mke Stern — Expect a super-charged riffing (11/6)
Tom Paxton (11/7)
Goapele — Oakland’s great Sade-esque smoky- and sweet-voiced soul/jazz artist and international human rights activist (11/9)
Buddy Guy w/Quinn Sullivan (11/10)
Rachael Yamagata — A homecoming for this Arlington-born, Bethesda-schooled indie-rocker (11/11)
David Bromberg Big Band w/Honey Child (11/14)
Oleta Adams –’90s-era R&B hit-maker returns for what’s becoming an annual stop at the Birchmere; and you know, she don’t care how you get there, just… (11/15)
Three Dog Night (11/16)
John Hiatt — A solo show for a rare run of three nights at the Birchmere (11/17-18)
Sax and the City — Featuring Marion Meadows & Paul Taylor (11/20
The Time Jumpers — Featuring Vince Gill, Dawn Sears, Kenny Sears and “Ranger” Doug Green (11/23)
Chrisette Michele (11/24)
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (12/4)
Dar Williams — Veteran indie singer-songwriter performs 20-year-old The Honesty Room and shares stories about what inspired the songs (12/5-6)
Robert Glasper Experiment (12/7)
A Peter White Christmas — Rick Braun and Mindi Abair join for this year’s edition of the show (12/8)
Christmas with Aaron Neville (12/9-10)
Whiskey Store Tour 2014 — Featuring Tab Benoit with Tommy Castro and Samantha Fish (12/11)
Judy Collins (12/13)
Sweet Honey In The Rock – The legendary local women’s a cappella group, spawned from a gospel choir, offers a show “Celebrating The Holidays” (12/14)
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — “Wild & Swingin’ Holiday Party” (12/17)
Carbon Leaf (12/18)
Pieces of a Dream (12/20)
Debi Smith & The National Men’s Chorus — “If I Were An Angel” Holiday Concert headlined by one of the Four Bitchin’ Babes (12/21)
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (12/27)
18th Annual Hank Williams Tribute Show — Featuring Claire Lynch, Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer, Robin & Linda Williams, Rickie Simpkins, Mark Schatz and Dave Chappell (12/27)
Beat Kaestli & Gregoire Maret — A vocalist and harmonica perform two 45-minute sets (9/16)
Paul Carr Quintet (9/17)
Jane Monheit – “Hello Bluebird: The Jazz of Judy Garland” is a joyous tribute to the original gay diva from this 36-year-old New York jazz/cabaret vocalist and a three-piece band (9/18-21)
Italian Jazz Series — Four Italian acts drop by Blues Alley in the next two weeks: Fabrizio Sotti & Mino Cinelu (9/22); Daniela Schachter Trio (9/23); The Marco Pignataro IQ (9/24); Marco Panascia Quartet (9/30)
Terence Blanchard — Famous trumpeter makes Blues Alley his base all weekend (9/25-28)
Gianluca Pellerito Quartet (9/29)
Tedd Baker & Victor Provost — Saxophonist and steel drummer offer “Eastern Standard Time” (10/1)
Rachelle Ferrell — Celebrated jazz vocalist and keyboardist (10/2-5)
Chelsey Green (10/6)
Ann Hampton Callaway — Lesbian jazz singer-songwriter presents “From Sassy to Divine: The Sarah Vaughan Project” (10/7)
Roberta Gambarini — A weekend run of shows by this jazz vocalist (10/9-12)
Nicole Henry (10/15)
Joshua Redman (10/16-19)
Monifah — The soul stirrer stops by Blues Alley (10/23)
Najee — Smooth sax man (10/24-26)
Roberto Fonseca (10/28)
Maria Muldaur (10/29)
Antone “Chooky” Caldwell — Bassist stops by to perform “The G.K.A.M. Experience” (10/30)
David Benoit (11/1-2)
Jeff Coffin & The Mutet (11/5)
Jonathan Butler (11/6-9)
Eliane Elias — A weekend run by this Brazilian jazz pianist (11/13-16)
Frederic Yonnet (11/21-22)
Alex Bugnon (11/29-30)
Arturo Sandoval — Latin jazz legend stops for a weekend run of shows (12/4-7)
Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra — A holiday big band show performing Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite (12/9-10)
Marcus Johnson’s Holiday Party — A funky smooth seasonal soundtrack (12/11-14)
NextNow Fest — Among the pop music highlights at this first-ever all-genre festival include performances by both UMD students in the Terrapin Beats Society and UMD Jazz Professors with special guest and UMD alum Lena Seikaly, as well as Malian hip-hop artist Amkoullel (9/11-14)
La Santa Cecilia — Grammy-winning L.A.-based sextet merging Pan-American rhythms, from cumbia to rumba to jazz to rock, with a little klezmer music thrown in for extra-world flavor (9/20)
Ambrose Akinmusire — Two performances by the quintet of this celebrated young trumpeter, a past recipient of the Thelonius Monk Competition and Downbeat‘s trumpet player of the year (10/2)
Abdulla Ibrahim (10/19)
Big Band Halloween Scream (10/27)
High School Choir Invitational (11/5)
Cantor Yehoshua Redfern (11/9)
UMD Chamber Jazz (11/11-12)
Winter Big Band Showcase (12/1)
COOLIDGE AUDITORIUM
AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
Thomas Jefferson Building 10 First St. SE 202-707-8000 loc.gov/concerts
Mavis Staples (10/11)
From Broadway: Steven Lutvak, Jeanine Tesori, David Yazbek — A thrilling evening of performance with three of Broadway’s hottest musical creators, responsible for this year’s Tony Award winner A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder, the Tony-nominated shows Thoroughly Modern Millie and Violet, and The Full Monty and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, respectively (10/17)
Erin Driscoll — One of D.C.’s best musical theater performers performs the cabaret “Get Happy! The Songs of Harlold Arlen” as part of the free Friday Music Concert Series (10/31)
His Golden Messenger w/Alexandra Sauser-Monnig (9/15)
Astronautalis w/Sarah Jaffe — If nothing else, go for one of three opening acts, this young Texas singer-songwriter who’s destined for bigger things (9/17)
Bahamas w/The Weather Station (9/18)
Little Daylight (9/19)
Peach Pit — Matt Bailer’s popular ’90s-themed gay dance party (9/20)
Broncho (9/21)
The Cave Singers w/Luke Temple (9/22)
Slow Magic (9/23)
Lydia Loveless (9/24)
Future Proof (9/25)
The Walking Sticks (9/27)
Ark Life (10/1)
Catfish and the Bottlemen (10/2)
X Ambassadors & Jamie N Commons (10/4)
Federico Aubele — This greatly underappreciated chillout act, part of the larger Thievery Corporation family (10/7)
Sinkane — Intriguing pop (10/8)
Daniel and the Lion (10/10)
Open Mike Eagle and Serengeti (10/15)
Ought (10/16)
Circa Waves (10/20)
Orenda Fink (10/21)
Water Liars w/Paperhaus (10/23)
Dads (10/24)
Restorations w/Self Defense Family (10/25)
Gossling — Girly-voiced Australian (and not actor Ryan) who makes gently sweeping piano pop (10/26)
Wampire (10/27)
Zammuto (10/28)
Russian Red (10/30)
Avi Buffalo (11/4)
Pup (11/5)
Parkay Quarts (11/6)
SaintSeneca (11/10)
Alvvays (11/11)
o’death (11/13)
The Wytches (11/20)
Wildcat! Wildcat! (11/23)
Streets of Laredo (11/24)
College (11/26)
ECHOSTAGE
2135 Queens Chapel Road NE 202-503-2330 echostage.com
Sam Smith w/Broods — A sold-out show for this gay hitmaker part of the latest British Pop Invasion, with an opening set by a brother-sister “elegant pop” act (9/16)
Kiwis Little Dragon (10/15)
Beats Antique — Creature Carnival Tour with Shpongle (Simon Posford DJ Set), Emancipator and Lafa Taylor (10/22)
Skrillex — Dub-step pioneer who single-handedly tried to bring down all of electronic/dance music (10/25)
The Glitch Mob w/The M Machine & Chrome Sparks (11/2)
Pasadena w/Bumpin Uglies — A On Tap presents a Local Brews, Local Grooves festival (9/19)
Enrique Bunbury (9/20)
NEEDTOBREATHE — Need for spaces (9/22)
Coheen and Cambria (9/23)
Snarky Puppy (9/26)
Fillmore Flashback: Biz Markie — Oh, he’s got what you need, if what you want his him to DJ an ’80s vs. ’90s dance party (9/27)
Rival Sons w/Monster Truck (10/4)
Ab-Soul — These Days Tour (10/5)
Betty Who — The High Society Tour finds this great singer/songwriter returning to D.C. just four months after Capital Pride; D.C. Loves Who, for sure (10/7)
Lacuna Coil w/Devil You Know (10/8)
Little Mix (10/9)
Placebo (10/9)
Machine Head/Children of Bodom/Black Dahlia Murder/Suicide Silence (10/11)
Limp Bizkit (11/12)
King Diamond (10/13)
The Janoskians (10/15)
Warpaint w/Liam Finn (10/17)
Moon Taxi — Ones to Watch with Skype presents this band on its Animal Style Tour (10/21)
Boyce Avenue w/Kris Allen (10/23)
AJR (10/24)
Streetlight Manifesto — Dan Potthast and Chris Murray (10/26)
Ne-Yo — Get closer to this great soul-pop singer (10/27)
Jason Derulo (10/28)
Jerrod Niemann (10/31)
Lecrae w/Andy Mineo & DJ Promote (11/2)
Joey Badass — He’s trying to see dollar signs rather than s’s (11/5)
Free Loft Late Night Music: David Kitchen Band — Roughly twice a weekend the Hamilton offers free music in its loft bar of the restaurant, with a rotating roster of local acts worth supporting (9/12, 9/27)
Shemekia Copeland (9/13)
Free Loft Late Night Music: 19th Street Band (9/13)
Sol Driven Train (9/16)
George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners — Also with Jamie McLean Band of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (9/17)
Vintage Trouble (9/18)
Free Loft Late Night Music: Justin Trawick Trio — Great local folk group (9/19, 9/26)
Free Loft Late Night Music: Lloyd Dobler Effect (9/20)
Nick Waterhouse (9/23)
John Mayall (9/24)
Luke James (9/26)
The SteelDrivers (9/28)
Matthew Perryman Jones, Andrew Combs (9/30)
Dom Flemons Trio — Namesake was a founding member of the great black bluegrass band Carolina Chocolate Drops (10/1)
Marc Broussard (10/2)
Sons of Bill (10/3)
Free Loft Late Night Music: Moonshine Society (10/3)
Blake Mills (10/6)
Anais Mitchell — This great folk-rocker, a regular Ani DiFranco collaborator and touring act (10/7)
Perfume Genius (10/9)
The Black Lillies (10/10)
The Fauntleroys — Featuring Alejandro Escovedo, Nick Tremulis, Ivan Julian and Linda Pitmon (10/11)
Red Baraat (10/12)
Marketa Irglova (10/13)
Kawehi (10/18)
A Pete Seeger Tribute — Featuring Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer Emma’s Revolution, Joe Uehlein & the U-Liners and Josh White Jr. (10/19)
The White Buffalo (10/20)
Shakey Graves (10/21)
Dave Barnes (10/24)
Newmyer Flyer Presents: Halloween Howl — Various local music acts, including Steve and Annie Sidleys and Cal Everett, perform along with monsters from the last 40 years, from Werewolves of London to Thriller to Bad Moon Rising (10/25)
Storm Large — From CBS show Rock Star: Supernova and Pink Martini (10/26)
Tessanne Chin — Part of a new generation of Jamaican musical artists (10/28)
The Last Waltz Tribute — Newmyer Flyer presents a group of D.C. music greats — Bob Margolin, Julia Nixon, Big Joe Maher, Tom Principato, Margot MacDonald — recreating music of The Band and others who performed at their farewell concert, from Van Morrison to Joni Mithcell to Muddy Waters (11/22)
HILL CENTER
Old Navy Hospital 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-549-4172 HillCenterDC.org
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen — Popular bluegrass band performs an outdoor concert in the garden (9/14)
Front Country — Another bluegrass band, another outdoor concert, this time a young collective from San Francisco (9/28)
Gerdan — A trio playing traditional instrumental music from Ukraine and Eastern Europe (10/5)
Margaret Leng Tan — The New York Times calls this artist the “queen of the toy piano,” and the diminutive instrument is his what he plays, now leading Clangor!, a humorous band playing all manner of toy instruments (10/8)
Hill Center Jazz Ensemble — Drummer Sanah Kadoura leads this ensemble now in its third year (11/5)
Youn Sun Nah & Ulf Wakenius Duo — Part of the Jazz at the Howard series (9/14)
Puya (9/16)
Ruthie Foster — Special guest legendary Stax soul singer William Bell (9/17)
Rare Essence (9/19)
Avant (9/20)
Hard Working Americans feat. Todd Snider & Dave Schools (9/21)
Gianmarco (9/24)
Tweet — Oops, there goes my shirt… (9/26)
Juvenile & Backyard Band (9/26)
Jennifer Holliday — And she’s telling you… (9/27)
DJ Premier vs. Pete Rock (9/27)
Ron Pope (9/28)
Dru Hill — Featuring Sisqo, Nokio, Jazz & Tao (10/1)
Big Freedia — Gay New Orleans native self-styled as the Queen of Bounce (10/2)
Big K.R.I.T. (10/3)
Justin Nozuka (10/7)
Anders Osborne & The Mother Hips (10/10)
An Autumn Spectacular — D.C. Music Download and Raise Your City present this showcase featuring Typefighter, the Sea Life, Teen Mom & Lowercase Letters (10/11)
Cassandra Wilson — Amazing soulful vocalist offers two shows as part of the Jazz at the Howard series (10/12)
Electron (10/15)
Gregory Porter — Two nights of new eclectic performer part of the Jazz at the Howard series (10/19-20)
Mali Music (10/21)
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour — Quirky Danish pop party band (10/23)
Keith Sweat — ’90s-era R&B hitmaker (10/24)
Kina Grannis (10/25)
Django Festival Allstars (10/26)
SWV (10/30)
Samhain – 30 Bloody Years (10/31)
Mixtape — A special Halloween edition of Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer’s popular gay party (10/31)
The Cole Porter Project — A reprise of last season’s popular revue featuring the work of the great gay American music master (Now-9/21, Source)
Fatal Song: The Great Opera Murders — Kathleen Cahill’s daffy send-up of the genre, a cabaret/opera whodunit featuring heroines winking their way through some of opera’s greatest songs (Now-9/21, Source)
De Falla’s La Vida Breve — A passionate gypsy opera featuring famous Spanish dances about a young gypsy woman Salud confronting her faithless lover Paco (10/18-11/2, GALA)
Bellini’s Sonnambula — An infrequently performed romantic story of innocent young love, jealously, intrigue and sleepwalking, in a new English adaptation by Steven Scott Mazzola (1/11-1/25/15, Source)
Fleta Hylton: What I Wanted to Sing When I Grew Up — Soprano offers an opera cabaret (1/18/15, 1/24/15, Source)
Mozart’s Bastian & Bastianna — A family show of this comic fairy tale musical (1/10/15, 1/17/15, Source)
Director’s Salon Series — Free events allowing audiences to converse with directors, designers and select performers of the season’s productions (10/16, 1/5/15)
WMZQ Fall Fest: Darius Rucker — The former Hootie & The Blowfish lead singer headlines this festival also featuring Eric Paslay, David Nail, Cassadee Pope and Chase Bryant (10/4)
Zac Brown Band — A seven-piece country/folk band from Atlanta (10/13)
The D.C. Legendary Musicians Band — A group organized to accompany performers in the area and featuring musicians who’ve accompanied Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Elvis Pressley, Ray Charles and others, performing at the Kennedy Center for a free Millennium Stage concert (9/21)
SambdaDa — Santa Cruz-based Brazilian band blends salsa, cumbia, funk and reggae on the free Millennium Stage (9/29)
Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Faith Prince — Tony Award winner from Guys and Dolls and Bells are Ringing returns to the Kennedy Center at the behest of the legendary Barbara Cook (10/31)
Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Andrea McArdle — The original Annie on Broadway has still got that “voice that carries to the rafters,” according to the New York Times (12/5)
Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Will Chase — A Kennedy Center debut from this Tony-nominated star of the revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, also known for his work on TV’s Smash and Nashville (1/9/15)
Youssou N’Dour — Senegalese music legend who helped develop the country’s mbalax music style and has been heralded by Rolling Stone as “the world’s greatest pop vocalist” (9/14)
Salif Keita — Known as the “Golden Voice of Africa,” this Afro-pop singer-songwriter blends traditional West African music styles with Arabic, French and Spanish traditions (9/21)
Alice Russell + Yuna w/Hollie Cook — A down-to-earth, diminutive Brit who has one of the best soul voices of our time, at least on par with compatriot Adele, whose concert at Lisner is a double-threat, also featuring the first artist from Malaysia to hit in America; or maybe it’ll be a triple threat, with another Brit as first act (10/17)
Andrey Makarevich & Yiddish Jazz — Russian rocker returns to the U.S. for a concert specifically aimed at merging Klezmer and big-band jazz (10/19)
Bela Fleck and Abigall Washburn with Del McCoury and David Grisman — A star banjoist and banjo-vocalist perform duets and also welcome an International Bluegrass Hall of Famer and a veteran bluegrass/rock mandolinist for a rootsy rocking night to remember (10/31)
Lee Ann Womack — The rare woman to win the Country Music Association’s Album of the Year returns with new set The Way I’m Livin’ (11/14)
Diego El Cigala — Spaniard sometimes called “The Sinatra of Flamenco” and known for collaborations with world-renowned Latin American artists (11/18)
Milton Nascimento — Brazilian singer-songwriter whose work in fusing Africanized jazz with Latin-American folk helped others look beyond bossa nova (11/20)
Route 29 Revue: Trampled by Turtles, Trombone Shorty, Iron and Wine — Also on tap at this rootsy festival is The Devil Makes Three, Guster and Hurray for the Riff Raff (9/13)
Jack White — Hipsters’ favorite rock — even rockabilly — producer (9/14)
Jake Owen, Eli Young Band, Thompson Square, Love and Theft, The Cadillac 3 — WPOC Saturday in the Country (10/4)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE!
Grosvenor Auditorium NGS Headquarters 1600 M St. NW 202-857-7700 nglive.org
DJ Spooky’s Artic Rhythms — A multimedia trip with composer and National Geographic Emerging Explorer whose real name is Paul D. Miller (10/10)
Okee Dokee Brothers: A Musical Adventure (11/15)
Moya Brennan: An Irish Christmas — An Emerald Isle holiday with one of the most recognizable Irish voices (12/6)
Holiday Fiesta with Cambalache — Veracruz-style holiday party with purveoyrs of son jarocho (12/12)
PATRIOT CENTER
George Mason University 4500 Patriot Circle Fairfax, Va. 703-993-3000 patriotcenter.com
Marc Anthony — The former Mr. Jennifer Lopez still has one of the best tenor voices in any genre (10/10)
Bastille — IMP presents this concert by the French-named British band (10/11)
Another year, anther sure-to-sell-out PhaseFest at Southeast D.C.’s lesbian bar Phase 1, which once again offers two nights of queer music Friday, Sept. 26, and Saturday, Sept. 27. Day 1 features Sick of Sarah, Glitterlust, the Michelle Raymond Band, Clinical Trials, Freeform Radio and Company Calls (9/26)
Day 2 has Hunter Valentine, Pushovers, Frankie & Betty, Playground Etiquette, Michelle Webb and Lacey Liszt (9/27)
Star-Spangled Spectacular: Bicentennial of Our National Anthem — John Lithgow and Jordin Sparks hosts a concert featuring Kristen Chenoweth, Melissa Etheridge, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Denyce Graves-Montgomery, Little Big Town, Pentatonix, Train and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (9/13)
Steely Dan — Jamalot Ever After Tour (9/17)
Daryl Hall & John Oates (9/18)
Several Species: The Pink Floyd Experience (9/20)
Iggy Azalea — She’s so fancy, at least when performing next to Charli XCX(9/25)
Chessie Jam Children’s Music Fest — Featuring Biz Markie of Yo Gabba Gabba, Justin Roberts, Recess Monkey, Father Goose, Milkshake, Lalabibi (10/4)
Judas Priest — Redeemer of Souls Tour 2014 (10/24)
Parker Millsap — A 21-year-old Americana artist who was a standout act at this year’s South By Southwest festival and sings a powerful song about coming out to a disapproving father (9/14)
Eliot Lewis — “…of Live from Daryl’s House” (9/15)
Leela James — The great, gritty underappreciated young soul singer (9/16)
Raul Midon (9/17)
Asleep at the Wheel (9/18)
The Sax Pack — Featuring Jeff Kashiwa, Steve Cole, Marcus Anderson plus special guest Marc Antoine (9/19)
Steve Earle — Solo acoustic (9/20)
Albert Castiglia & Damon Fowler (9/20)
Dishwalla, Nine Days and Stroke 9 (9/21)
Wishbone Ash (9/21)
Ricky Nelson Remembered — Starring Matthew and Gunnar Nelson (9/22)
John Hiatt (9/23-24)
Atlanta Rhythm Section (9/25)
Blackhawk & The Outlaws (9/26)
The BoDeans w/Honor By August (9/27)
Uriah Heep (9/28)
Glenn Tilbrook of Squeeze (9/29)
Asia — Featuring John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Sam Coulson (9/30-10/1)
The Chuck Brown All Star GoGo Tribute Band (10/2)
Suzy Bogguss (10/3)
Lady Rizo — Grammy-winning comedienne and chanteuse focused on the art of cabaret (10/4)
Jo Dee Messina (10/5)
Jenn Grinels (10/6)
Noam Pikelny & Stuart Duncan (10/7)
Logan Brill & Rob Baird (10/8)
The Bangles — Walk like an… (10/9)
Michael Franks (10/10)
Macy Gray (10/11)
California Guitar Trio & Montreal Guitar Trio (10/11)
The Kingston Trio (10/12)
Josh Krajcik — “…from The X-Factor” (10/14)
Gaelic Storm (10/15)
The Subdudes — Reunion Tour (10/16)
Little River Band (10/17)
Rocco Deluca (10/18)
Rufus Wainwright — The Best of (10/18)
Habana Sax (10/19)
The Secret Sisters (10/20)
Southern Culture on the Skids (10/1)
J2B2 — John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band (10/22)
Tommy Castro & The Painkillers (10/24)
Voyage: A Tribute to Journey featuring Hugo (10/25)
Darlingside & Tall Heights (10/29)
Russian Red (10/31)
Richie Kotzen (11/1)
The James Hunter Six (11/2)
Acoustic Alchemy (11/4)
Doyle Bramhall II (11/5)
Charlie Mars (11/6)
Robyn Hitchcock (11/8)
Delbert McClinton (11/8)
Aaron Carter (11/9)
Jim Brickman (11/9)
Rachael Yamagata (11/10)
Jack Wagner (11/14)
Phil Vassar (11/15)
Oleta Adams (11/16)
Eric Johnson & Mike Stern — Eclectic Guitars (11/19)
Chris Smither & The Motivators (11/20)
The Last Waltz Tribute — Produced by Newmyer Flyer (11/21)
Taylor Wiliamson — “…of America’s Got Talent” (11/22)
Janis Ian — The lesbian folk icon (11/23)
Grainger W. Pockets — Featuring Special Guest Meritxell (11/28)
Dave Mason’s Traffic Jam (11/30)
Chuck Ragan (12/3)
Amy Ray — Indigo Girl (12/4)
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (12/5)
Adrian Belew Power Trio (12/6)
Motown & More: A Holiday Celebration (12/7)
Peter White’s Christmas — Featuring Mindi Abair and Rick Braun (12/10)
Cheryl Wheeler & Patty Larkin — Two great folky singer-songwriters team up (12/11)
Dublin 5 (12/13)
Pieces of a Dream (12/17)
Carbon Leaf (12/19-20)
Hard Travelers (12/21)
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (12/26)
Rebirth Brass Band — As seen on HBO’s Treme, a true New Orleans institution (12/28)
Kevin Spacey in Concert — Few tickets remain for this exclusive one-night-only cabaret featuring the acclaimed actor singing standards from the swing era and the Great American Songbook, accompanied by the Kevin Spacey Orchestra (9/29)
25th Anniversary Concert — A benefit concert featuring a cast of Signature favorites performing beloved songs from the last 25 years of Signature Theatre accompanied by the Signature Orchestra (10/20)
Cabaret Series: Signature Sisters — Famous female Signature singers perform in the swinging style of the Andrews Sisters, putting contemporary twists on doo-wop and jitterbug classics (10/21-25)
Holiday Follies 2014 – Holiday favorites sung by special guest performers (12/12-23)
Valerie June — Old-timey-sounding folk vocalist who just oozes charm (10/2)
Angus & Julia Stone — Australian brother-sister folk duo (10/25)
Cecile McLorin Salvant — A return performance by this quirky, sophisticated and soulful jazz vocalist (think Billie Holiday meets Ella Fitzgerald) after a popular Washington Performing Arts debut last year (11/1)
Maya Beiser — Washington Performing Arts presents this cellist the San Francisco Gate dubbed a “rock ‘n’ roll queen of contemporary music,” for a program mixing Led Zeppelin with Steve Reich, or the contemporary with the spiritual (11/8)
Suzanne Vega — Washington Performing Arts offers a return engagement with the distinctive, clear-voiced folk/pop singer-songwriter behind “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” (11/9)
The Barr Brothers — Montreal folk quartet with West African influences (11/18)
5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda 301-581-5100 strathmore.org
Nate Smith + Kinfolk (9/18)
Sami Yusuf — Hailed by Time as “Islam’s biggest Rock Star,” this attractive British Muslim superstar performs for the first time ever in Washington (9/26)
Victoria Vox — A former Strathmore Artist in Residence offers an “AIR Alumni” concert displaying her skills on the ukulele (10/8)
Rajna Swaminathan and RAJAS (10/9)
The California Guitar Trio & Montreal Guitar Trio (10/10)
Lena Siekaly — Another “AIR Alumni” concert, this time a concert by whom the Washington Post has hailed as “one of Washington’s preeminent jazz singers” (10/15)
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons — The original “Jersey Boys” (10/15-16)
Margot MacDonald — Another “AIR Alumni” concert (10/22)
The Oxymorons (10/24)
Christylez Bacon — Another “AIR Alumni” concert (10/29)
Bryan Batt — “Batt on a Hot Tin Roof” is a cabaret by this Broadway veteran more recently known as Salvatore Romano in AMC’s Mad Men (11/20)
Oscar Penas — Spanish guitarist paying homage to American jazz masters with his trio (11/21)
Sharon Isbin, Stanley Jordan and Romero Lubambo — “Guitar Passions” (11/23)
The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Christmas Rocks Extravaganza! — The Birchmere and AM Productions present one of the first holiday shows this season, one set to include hits from this band leader also known from his time with the Stray Cats (11/26)
George Winston (11/30)
Allyn Johnson (12/3)
Diana Krall — The Birchmere presents this show, part of a tour supporting jazz pianist’s new David Foster-produced set Wallflower (12/4)
Mirel Wagner (12/4)
Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour — The gay smooth saxophonist tours this year with R&B/gospel artist Jonathan Butler, smooth “Sailing” ’80s pop artist Christopher Cross and Soul Train act Maysa (12/9)
The Temptations & The Four Tops — “A merry Motown Christmas” (12/12)
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas (12/13)
Robyn Helzner Trio — A guitar and mandolin trio offering Jewish-style folk music in time for Chanukah (12/17)
Peabo Bryson: The Colors of Christmas — The soul singer is joined by Jennifer Holliday, Taylor Dayne and Ruben Studdard for an evening of pop hits and Christmas favorites (12/19)
Holy Ghost! — A DJ set from this neo-new wave New York band who fittingly opened for New Order last year (9/13)
Bomba Estereo (9/14)
Madchester Monday — Alex Tebleff of PaperHaus hosts a night in which a few quarter-century-old classic albums by seminal UK electronic acts get played, including New Order’s Technique, the Happy Mondays’ Pills ‘n’ Thrills and the Stone Roses’ self-titled debut (9/15)
Dub FX w/Thunderball, Rex Riddem of Nappy Ridder (9/16)
Hyperdub Tour — Kode9, DJ Spinn B2B Taso, Scratcha DVA and Refugee (9/17)
Simian Mobile Disco — Performing Whorl (9/18)
Rubblebucket w/Body Language (9/19)
Wolf+Lamb & Nick Monaco (9/19)
How to Dress Well — Tom Krell makes hipster R&B under this cutesy moniker and stops by U-Hall for a concert presented by the 9:30 Club (9/20)
Bliss 14-Year Anniversary — U Street Music Hall co-owner and Mr. Bliss himself Will Eastman offers a six-hour DJ set to toast his long-running dance event (9/20)
Stick Figure (9/25)
Sondre Lerche — The Norwegian Beatles-inspired pop/rocker stops by U-Hall for a concert presented by the 9:30 Club (9/26)
Bonobo — A DJ set (9/26)
Waze & Odyssey (9/26)
Paloma Faith — Incredibly soulful British singer-songwriter in the mold of Amy Winehouse and every bit as deserving of that level of fame (9/27)
Lane 8 w/Lancelot (9/27)
Phaeleh (9/28)
Kiesza — The 9:30 Club presents a concert by this Canadian chanteuse, who shoulda/coulda/woulda had the Song of Summer with her neo-trip-hop “Hideaway” (and did, at least in certain gay circles) (9/29)
Odesza w/Hayden James, Ambassadeurs (9/30)
Augustines — The 9:30 Club presents this concert at U-Hall (10/1)
GusGus — The underappreciated Icelandic electro-rock act stops by U-Hall in a 9:30 Club presented concert (10/2)
Tensnake (10/2)
We Are Scientists & Surfer Blood — 9:30 Club presents (10/3)
Kink w/Aaron Hedges, Raffi (10/3)
Lil Dicky — 9:30 Club presents (10/4)
REV909 — Will Eastman and Ozker spin a night paying tribute to Daft Punk, French house and some indie dance classics (10/4)
Asgeir (10/5)
Animal Collective — Avey Tare, Geologist and Deakin of this Maryland-birthed international eclectic rock group offer a couple monthly DJ sets in a special Fall Residency program at U Hall (10/5, 11/12)
Hercules and Love Affair — The 9:30 Club presents this rare tour from the gay neo-disco band (10/7)
Rufus du Sol w/Hermitude (10/7)
Gorgon City — Yet another young British house/pop duo in the dance steps of Disclosure — yes, so far, they’re on par (10/10)
Generationals w/Arum Rae — A 9:30 Club presents this concert at U-Hall (10/11)
Duke Dumont w/Jackson Ryland, Man & Woman (10/11)
Motopony w/The Family Crest & Sean Barna — 9:30 Club presents (10/13)
Taylor McFerrin (10/14)
La Femme — 9:30 Club presents (10/15)
Saint Pepsi (10/15)
Busdriver (10/16)
Kaytranada (10/16)
Bernhoft w/The Wind and the Wave (10/17)
Apollonia (10/17)
Southern Culture on the Skdis w/Glenmont Popes (10/18)
Fred Falke (10/18)
Daedelus (10/19)
Benjamin Booker (10/20)
Colony House and Knox Hamilton (10/21)
Snakeships & STWO (10/22)
Amine Edge & Dance (10/23)
Aeroplane w/Caleb L’Etoile, Brian Billion (10/24)
Goldfish (10/26)
Digitalism (10/29)
Klingande with Monkey Safari (10/30)
Lo-Fang — A return for this Maryland native, born Matthew Hemerlein, whose debut album Blue Film, released in February, still stands as one of this year’s very best (10/310
U Hell Halloween Party with BrEaCh (10/31)
SOHN (11/1)
This Will Destroy You (11/2)
Dirty Guv’nahs (11/7)
Kimbra — “Somebody That You Used To Know” and should again (11/8)
Shahkar Bineshpajooh & Symphony Orchestra — Iranian singer-songwriter performing with a band combining western and traditional Iranian instruments (9/20)
Gladys Knight — The Birchmere presents a concert by the R&B legend and leader of the Pips (10/25)
Patrick Bruel (11/5)
For more Fall Arts Preview, including Classical Music, Film, Stage, and TV, please click here.
Halloween isn't until next Thursday, but venues around town are already getting in the spirit of the spookiest season of the year.
Certainly, any spooky savant should be hellbent on making it to the 9:30 Club this Saturday, Oct. 26, for the very last BENT. "See You in HellBENT" will be hosted by Pussy Noir, who will perform along with queens from the haus of bambi and Ana Latour. Music by DJs The Barber Streisand, Samson, and the party's founder Lemz. Doors at 10 p.m. Tickets are $25. Call 202-365-0930 or visit www.930.com.
Too much of modern pop music is missing the melody, according to John Duff.
"These songs are not designed to be performed by performers," the singer-songwriter contends. "They're designed to play in an algorithmic playlist that blends in with the next one and the next one and the next one, so that they can get every stream they possibly can."
In a musical landscape where everything's becoming homogenized, Duff says that "even the best singers aren't getting a chance to sing, because they're competing with mediocre singers, and the mediocre singers are doing better."
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
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