Modest Mouse (Photo by James Joiner)
In June, Modest Mouse returned with their first new album in six years. Their anxiously awaited seventh full-length, The Golden Casket, is out via Epic Records.
Modest Mouse has embarked on a tour to support the new album, and the band performs at The Anthem in DC on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
Colin Hay (Photo by Paul Mobley)
Renowned globally as frontman in the Australian band Men at Work, Colin Hay has since proven himself as a solo artist. Today, Colin releases an album of covers — songs important to him — called I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself, recorded during pandemic lockdown.
Colin and his band visit The Birchmere to play some of those songs and others for two shows on Tuesday, Aug. 17, and Wednesday, Aug. 18.
For the War and Treaty — the duo of Michael Trotter and Tanya Blount-Trotter — last week’s appearance at Wolf Trap was a homecoming. Tanya is a DC native, and friends and family of both Michael and Tanya appeared throughout the show. Tanya’s eighth grade band teacher played the trombone in their horn section, Michael’s mother came on stage for a song, and Tanya’s brother sang, too.
The War and Treaty has a Motown spirit, a country soul, and a classic rock ‘n’ roll heart. On July 29, their performance was full of high energy and infectious joy, and it got loud. There was plenty of crowd engagement, with Michael getting the crowd to sing and clap along. He formally greeted the audience by saying, “Welcome to the Church of the War and Treaty, formerly known as Wolf Trap.”
Aoife O’Donovan performs at Wolf Trap on July 28, 2021. (Photo by Casey Vock)
When singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan last appeared at Wolf Trap four years ago, she performed in the trio I’m With Her as part of the American Acoustic package tour, which also included the Punch Brothers. At the time, she noted, she was seven months pregnant; she referenced this in one of the evening’s songs, “Elevators.”
Aoife reappeared at Wolf Trap recently as a solo headliner. Normally, she told the audience, Wolf Trap is a venue where she would be an opener, but, because the venue is running at low capacity for social distancing, she was given the opportunity to headline.
Watkins Family Hour (Photo by Jacob Boll)
Sibling duo Watkins Family Hour performs two outdoors shows at Strathmore Music Center on Saturday, Aug. 7 — an early evening performance followed by a later show — touring in support of their new album, brother sister.
Hawktail performs at Rams Head on Stage on July 26, 2021. (Photo by Casey Vock)
While the pandemic might have been a blockade to the life and career of many musicians, it could very well have provided opportunity and inspiration for others to dig in with their colleagues to create special music that might provide an appropriate backdrop to these weirdest of times.
An instrumental outfit featuring Brittany Haas on violin, Paul Kowert on bass, Jordan Tice on guitar, and Dominick Leslie on mandolin, Hawktail visited Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis the evening of July 26 to deliver two captivating sets of powerful, intricately composed music that speaks to the group’s increasingly strong connection despite the challenges of the past year and half.
Scythian (Photo by Jason Eib)
Appaloosa Festival is back! And Appaloosa 2021 is bringing in rising stars in bluegrass, Americana and Celtic music on Aug. 13-15 at Skyline Ranch Resort in Front Royal, Va.
Headliners at this year’s festival include Scythian, Young Dubliners, Dustbowl Revival, Yarn, and Aztec Sun!
Chris Thile performs at Wolf Trap on July 24, 2021. (Photo by Casey Vock)
Chris Thile loves playing at Wolf Trap. On Saturday evening, he called it “the best outdoor ampitheater in the world.” Over the years, Chris has played Wolf Trap with his main band, the Punch Brothers, and as the host of the (tragically) canceled NPR variety show Live From Here.
A mandolin virtuoso, Thile first emerged on the the music scene as a member of the bluegrass trio Nickel Creek with siblings Sean and Sara Watkins, who won a Grammy for their 2002 album, This Side. During Saturday’s show, Chris performed “Rest of My Life,” from Nickel Creek’s 2014 reunion album, A Dotted Line.
The War and Treaty (Photo courtesy Red Light Management)
Since forming in 2014, The War and Treaty have amassed a following as eclectic as their sound itself, a bluesy but joyful fusion of Southern soul, gospel, country, and rock-and-roll.
Known for a live show nearly revival-like in intensity, the husband-and-wife team of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter bring that exhilarating energy to Wolf Trap on Thursday, July 29!
Anyone who’s familiar with the DMV’s music scene knows Cathy DiToro, an incandescent ball of energy whose bands So Fetch (aughts covers), The Legwarmers (’80s covers), and Party Like It’s (ska/dance) clearly don’t occupy enough of her time.
A songwriter in her own right, Cathy has assembled a fresh quartet, the aptly named RoseRiot, to perform original songs, and the band made a long-awaited return to live performance with an outdoor appearance at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Virginia this past Friday.
