David Wax Museum fuses elements of Americana, rock, and Mexican folk into an uplifting blend of catchy, engaging music. They recently brought their show to Annapolis’s Rams Head On Stage with support from Elizabeth and the Catapult.
On April 10, Elizabeth Ziman, who stage name is Elizabeth and the Catapult, started the night off-stage, barely illuminated, just her and a piano. She told us she tries to make every performance special. Even sometimes writing a new song to start with. Tonight she adapted a song for the Annapolis crowd. She started singing “Today I am happy, I’m gonna give you what I have, life keeps changing over and over again.” Her backing musicians gradually joined her as her set continued with “Goodbye Wisdom,” inspired by a pre-show wisdom tooth extraction that did not go as planned, and then “Learning to Drive.” “I’m a musician who can’t drive, which means I have the best friends in the world.”
Stream “Learning to Drive” by Elizabeth and the Catapult on YouTube:
The next song brought Elizabeth to the stage for the rest of the set which was full of observational songs about life, included a song on her newest album inspired by a request from a fan who is an ER doctor (“When a Doctor Needs a Doctor”), and one she wrote after visiting a friend in the hospital and realizing she couldn’t take her friend’s pain away; she wasn’t there to take their pain away; She was there to sit with them and to accept them as they are (“I Love You Still”).
David Wax Museum took the stage and said when they got into Annapolis they were welcomed by the smell of crab cakes. In Secret Creature, the title track off their latest release, they sang “Thank you for loving these different versions of myself.” David complemented how great Rams Head is for music. It’s not some place where a music venue was an afterthought squishing in a stage in an awkward way.
Stream “Secret Creature” by David Wax Museum on YouTube:
The band consisted of David Wax, his wife Suz Slezak, and his longtime friend Sam D’Agostino (who now calls DC home). D’Agostino plays upright bass and Slezak plays several instruments, including violin, harp and accordion. Slezak, who grew up in rural central VA, told a story about the first time she went to a Red Lobster and was amazed by the “shrimp popcorn.” She asked if our Red Lobster served this delicacy and the crowd stared at her blankly as if to say, “This is a seafood town. We don’t eat at Red Lobster.” This became the basis for many Red Lobster jokes throughout the show.
When touring shut down during the pandemic, Wax and Slezak built a barn-style studio/performance space in their backyard In Charlottesville, in which they host concerts and songwriting workshops. They invited the audience down to visit and D’Agostino suggested everyone meet at the Red Lobster, to much laughter.
Although they’ve played in the DC/MD/VA area regularly over the years, Wax mentioned that they haven’t been to Rams Head for 10 years. They clearly enjoyed the venue and the crowd, and the crowd cheered the idea of them returning much sooner the next time.
Their music deals with facing life’s inevitable troubles, and responds with faith, hope and joy. It was a welcome message on this Friday night.
Here are some photos of David Wax Museum performing live at Rams Head On Stage on April 10, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Elizabeth and the Catapult David Wax Museum at Rams Head On Stage on April 10, 2026. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
