Author: Chester Simpson

Live Review: Sleepy Creek SpringDig @ Sleepy Creek on the Potomac (Berkeley Springs, WV) — 5/3-5/5/19

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6th Annual Sleepy Creek SpringDig6th Annual Sleepy Creek SpringDig
The Jeff Austin Band headlines SpringDig on May 4, 2019. (Photos by Chester Simpson; Words by Michael Tucker)

SpringDig is always a special event for me because it’s the first festival of the year that I attend; on top of that, my lovely partner Tara and I have the great honor of working hospitality for the bands and crew of the event which means we provide them with food, cold drinks, and a comfortable area to chill, recharge, or practice. And so, we were happy to be at Sleepy Creek SpringDig 2019 on May 3-5 in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia.

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Around Town: National Cannabis Festival @ RFK Stadium Festival Grounds — 4/20/19

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National Cannabis Festival at RFK

Participants press for federal legalization of marijuana at the National Cannabis Festival on April 20, 2019. (Photo by Chester Simpson)

“To me, pot is just fun. And I’m glad to see the rest of the country is coming around to my way of seeing things,” Keith Richards said in interview in Rolling Stone magazine Sept. 3, 2015. Keith would have enjoyed the National Cannabis Festival at RFK Stadium on April 20.

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Live Review: Jethro Tull @ MGM National Harbor — 3/11/19

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Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson (center) celebrates 50 years of Jethro Tull at MGM National Harbor on March 11, 2019. (Photo by Chester Simpson)

I first saw Jethro Tull on the Aqualung Tour at Civic Center in Roanoke, Virginia, on April 18, 1971. I most recently saw Ian Anderson and company at MGM National Harbor when they visited to celebrate 50 years of the band.

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Live Review: 7 Deadlies @ The Light Horse — 3/1/19

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The Light Horse
The 7 Deadlies perform at The Light Horse on March 1, 2019. (Photo by Chester Simpson) 

It was a cold rainy night, in Old Town Alexandria, when me and a few friends, heard music coming from a restaurant and decided to get out of the rain. We walked into The Light Horse, which offered exciting food, a fun bar, and with great live music upstairs. On a recent night that great live music came in the form of the 7 Deadliest, a cool DC cover band.

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Live Review: Hot Tuna @ City Winery — 11/27/18

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Hot Tuna Acoustic at the City Winery
Hot Tuna performs at City Winery in DC on Nov. 27, 2018. (Photo by Chester Simpson)

Hot Tuna and Hot Plates at City Winery DC

Upon my arrival in San Francisco in August 1975, I heard of a free concert by Hot Tuna in Parkside Square. So with my friends, I traveled to see my favorite Jefferson Airplane musicians — guitarist/vocalist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady.

During that first time I saw them, the gents shared a sort of mystic chemistry, which remained in tact at their recent show at City Winery.

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Music Park: Mary Chapin Carpenter @ The Birchmere — 10/29/18

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Mary Chapin Carpenter performing at the Birchmere on Monday, Oct. 29, 2018

Mary Chapin Carpenter performs at The Birchmere on Oct. 29, 2018. (Photo by Chester Simpson)

“Passionate Kisses” awaited eager fans that packed The Birchmere for two sold-out nights recently to hear a hometown troubadour with a voice strong and true! Mary Chapin Carpenter had come home.

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