Valerie June performs at Eco Festival Cabaret Vert in France on Aug. 25, 2013. (Photo by Clement Caron)
On a cold Saturday evening, singer-songwriter Valerie June took the stage with a tiny banjo before a sold-out crowd at the District’s Historic Sixth & I Synagogue. Informing the crowd the that this banjo was “the baby,” Valerie played “Somebody to Love” to kick off an evening of soulful roots.
Colin Blunstone performs at City Winery in DC on Feb. 7, 2019. (Photos by Paivi Salonen; Words by Mickey McCarter)
On the cusp of induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Colin Blunstone of The Zombies first turned his dazzling vocal power to City Winery in DC for a perfect evening of song and remembrances recently.
Sharon van Etten and her band performs at the 9:30 Club. (Photo by Matt Ruppert)
Anticipation hovered in the thick, rain-refracted light over 9:30 Club as the early crowd nestled close to the brick, waiting. Darkness and light bouncing back and forth, the air felt thick with hope, with expectation, as Sharon van Etten would take the stage at the club recently for the first time to play the songs off her new album Remind Me Tomorrow.
Nao performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Feb. 5, 2019. (Photo by Will Colbert)
Electronic, pop, and R&B artist Neo Jessica Joshua, better known as Nao, recently performed her self-described “wonky funk” for a sold-out audience at The Fillmore Silver Spring. The British singer-songwriter, who used celestial metaphors on her latest album Saturn (2018), delivered an out of this world performance.
Craig Stickland performs at City Winery on Feb. 4, 2019. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
“[T]here’s way more pressure when it comes to music, because it’s my passion, it’s what I strive to accomplish in life.” Craig Stickland interview, Portal Magazine (2017)
Despite (or maybe because of) being an artist who also models and acts, Craig Stickland has set his sights on a musical career. Maybe it’s because the endless nights on the road, in cramped vans, waking up in a different place every night is so rewarding… or maybe because music is real. Onstage, you’re only playing yourself.
Hudson Taylor performs at City Winery on Feb. 4, 2019. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
Hudson Taylor turned DC’s City Winery into a raucous Irish pub complete with hand-clapping, singalongs and rug cutting. Hudson Taylor’s folky (and folksy) but lively Irish pop lends itself well to this type of behavior and certainly brightened a recent weeknight.
Trouble Funk performs at The Anthem on Dec. 31, 2018. (Photo by Andy Jillson)
DC native Tony “Big Tony” Fisher will bring his pioneering DC go-go band Trouble Funk to The Fillmore Silver Spring on Sunday, Feb. 17.
Gregory Porter (Photo courtesy Universal Music Group)
Jazz master Gregory Porter most recently released Nat King Cole and Me, a personal tribute to the great Nat King Cole, via Decca Records/Universal Music Group. He’s now coming to perform at the Strathmore Music Center on Friday, Feb. 15.
Dance to Interpol at Liberation Dance Party (Photo courtesy Matador Records)
Going to Interpol at The Anthem or Metric at The Fillmore Silver Spring? Keep the party going after either show with Liberation Dance Party, the video event that introduced the music of both bands to the DMV! Dance the night away at DC9 on Friday, Feb. 15, with no cover!
Steve Earle (Photo by Tom Bejgrowicz)
Steve Earle continues his residency at City Winery DC with two dates on Tuesday, Feb. 12, and Wednesday, Feb. 13. See the celebrated singer-songwriter in his element for one or both of these can’t-miss shows.
