Tag: July

Julien Baker at Wolf Trap: Julien Baker, born and raised in Memphis, is on her third album, and her commitment to blistering honesty isn’t going anywhere. On her 2021 project “Little Oblivions,” the singer’s truth-telling has more support from a fuller band of live instruments. Baker’s struggles with addiction have been a steady theme for her music and are the whole story on the opening song and album standout, “Hardline.” She sings the devastating line, “I’m telling my own fortune / Something I cannot escape,” just as robust drumming breaks through the background before a rousing chorus. On “Ringside,” listeners may wish she weren’t so hard on herself. “So you could either watch me drown / Or try to save me while I drag you down,” she sings, contemplating what her self-destruction is doing to those in her life with the help of a slightly chaotic guitar. However, her intense candor is what makes her music resonate. Baker, and her listeners, can’t deny the truth. 7:30 p.m. $32.

Capital Book Fest at Ronald Reagan Building: Spend your lunch break browsing thousands of used books, records, CDs and DVDs on the Ronald Reagan Building’s Wilson Plaza during the Capital Book Fest. Sales at this outdoor pop-up bookstore, organized with local bookseller Carpe Librum, benefit childhood literacy organization Turning the Page. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.

Don’t Mute D.C. at the Kennedy Center: The second installment of the Kennedy Center’s summer festival series is dedicated to preserving D.C.’s official music. Don’t Mute D.C., which has its roots in the protests that erupted after a store at the corner of Florida Avenue and Seventh Street NW was told to stop playing go-go music in the spring of 2019, curates this weekend’s edition. Highlights on Friday include a discussion about the role of drums in liberation movements, DJ Supa Dan, and a performance by the Experience Band and Show. Saturday brings a go-go dance and fitness session; an interactive class about the healing power of drums; a seminar on “the healing power of go-go music”; and a Millennium Stage concert with the legendary Junkyard Band, best known for the hits “Sardines” and “The Word.” Tickets for most events are available on a first-come, first-served basis; tickets for Millennium Stage events are available at the box office on the day of the performance. Friday from 5 to 8:30 p.m., Saturday from 2 to 8:30 p.m. Free.

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Olney Theatre Center: Free Summer Shakespeare returns to Olney Theatre Center’s Root Family Stage this weekend, with a pair of evening performances of “Much Ado About Nothing.” Tickets are pay-what-you-can, with seating on a first-come, first-served basis beginning 30 minutes before the performance. Bring picnic blankets and chairs, though the theater has bleachers and seats available. The production moves inside in case of rain. Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Free.

NMAAHC Hip-Hop Block Party tickets: The National Museum of African American History and Culture will mark the first anniversary of its Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap with a day-long block party at the museum on Aug. 13. Want to see D. Smoke, the Halluci Nation, DJ Spinderella or a showcase featuring DMV talent? Tickets will be available on the museum’s website on Friday. Free.

Warpaint at Capitol Turnaround: Warpaint returned earlier this year with the band’s first album in six years, a delay elongated — like so many others — by the pandemic. In the interim, the members of the LA-born quartet have stayed busy, variously working on solo albums, collaborating with the likes of Courtney Barnett and Suzanne Ciani, scoring films, and having a baby. But don’t call it a hiatus or a comeback. “It’s just four humans living in this world that are lucky enough to express themselves and make music with each other and hone their individual creativity and individual skills, in a weird time,” said drummer Stella Mozgawa. The result, “Radiate Like This,” is as dreamy and moody as its predecessors, taking a foray into Stevie Wonder-inspired soulshine before closing with the decidedly sensual “Send Nudes.” 8 p.m. $27.50.

Evil at Songbyrd: Sometimes a song seems prophetic when it’s really just timeless. That’s the case with “Young American,” a gentle strummer of a country tune by DMV native Evil. In a dreamy croon, Evil sings of being “desensitized” and “ready to die,” and the chorus isn’t a rousing call to action but an appeal for resignation: “Young American / Put down your fists / ’Cuz you can’t win.” Written around 2017 and released in 2019, “Young American” seems to foretell the wave of protests that would wash over the United States in 2020, crystallized by the police murder of George Floyd. In the two years since, there have been plenty more protests, whether after acts of violence committed by firearm or those done by judicial decree. But after two long, contentious years, the energy of 2020 has turned into exhaustion. “Young American” feels like the anti-protest anthem of the day. In the years since the release of “Young American,” Evil has stayed busy, building on the stripped-down country of their self-titled debut with songs that glisten with orchestral flourishes, Auto-Tuned vocals and gurgling electronic beats. Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley, Evil is a country artist on their own terms at a time when many artists are challenging the stereotypes and expectations of what country artists look and sound like. 7 p.m. $17-$20.

Interview: Evil is a country artist on their own terms

Black Greek Festival and Brunch Olympics: The two-day Black Greek Festival returns to D.C. after a 2021 debut that organizers say attracted more than 5,000 attendees. (Don’t worry if you’re not a member of one of the Divine Nine Black Greek organizations: Organizers of this party say it’s open to everyone.) The main event, held at Gateway D.C. on Saturday, includes a concert with Juvenile and a slew of DJs from the Divine Nine, plus outdoor games and dancing, multiple bars, vendors, art installations, food trucks and more. (11 a.m. to 7 p.m. $30, $100 VIP.) On Sunday, the festivities move to the Bullpen for the Brunch Olympics, where $25 bottomless mimosas from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., food trucks, and a lineup of DJs including Quicksilva and Sam I Am create a vibe. WHUR-FM’s Autumn Joi and Young Toon are the hosts. Warning: Unless you purchase VIP tickets, which require deposits ranging from $225 to $550 for a group of up to six, seating is not guaranteed, so early arrival is strongly suggested. (11 a.m. to 7 p.m., $40-$50.)

International Colombian Festival at Catholic University: Mauro Castillo — salsa musician, actor and, oh yes, the voice of Félix in “Encanto” and its inescapable smash “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” — is among the headliners at the annual International Colombian Festival, which celebrates Colombia’s independence. The day mixes music, including Colombian group San Miguelito and musician Iván Zuleta; cultural dance performances; food trucks; and vendors. It’s not just Colombians who will be celebrating: Each year, organizers invite another country to join in the festivities, and this time is the Dominican Republic’s turn. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. $20; free for children younger than 12.

Sugar Bear Birthday Bash featuring E.U. at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club: “I’m going to use this platform that God has given me to address violence in any way I can,” says Gregory “Sugar Bear” Elliott, the lead vocalist and guitarist of legendary go-go band Experience Unlimited, who is celebrating his birthday with shows at Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club and the Birchmere. “I’m known as a go-go artist and throw a good party, but people can also hear the message at the same time. Love your brothers, because peace has gone away. We need to bring it back.” Celebrating 50 years as a group, Experience Unlimited, also known as just E.U., has rereleased one of its first singles: “Peace Gone Away” was written more than 40 years ago but sounds just as relevant today. “While we would all like to think that violence has gotten better since that time [when the song came out], it hasn’t — in fact, it’s gotten worse,” Elliott says. “So somebody’s got to step up to the plate and say, ‘Hey, we got to fix this.’ And hopefully the song will reach a new generation of people in 2022 and help people change their course for good.” Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m. $30-$40.

Interview: E.U. puts a fresh spin on an old cut for a new generation of fans

Africa on the Avenue at Bruce Monroe Park: Georgia Avenue has long been home to a community of African immigrants, and this gathering in Bruce Monroe Park celebrates their culture. Nigerian guitarist Dòkun and Afro-Cuban drum ensemble DMV Rumberos provide the soundtrack for art, hair braiding demonstrations, food and more. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.

Alethia Tanner Day at Alethia Tanner Park: The NoMa neighborhood’s largest park is named after Alethia Tanner, a woman born enslaved in Maryland who eventually purchased her freedom, as well as freedom for family members, by selling produce in Lafayette Square. (You can read more about her on the White House Historical Association’s website.) Tanner’s legacy, which includes supporting schools for Black children, is honored at this community festival. Activities include a pop-up market with Black female makers, gardening crafts for children, double Dutch lessons, an REI bike tuneup station, food trucks, and music from DJ Mathias Broohm and Too Much Talent Band. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.

Frut at Hi-Lawn: The rooftop bar above Union Market is a fun place to spread out on the (fake) grass with a group of friends, but it’s also a great destination for a sunset DJ party. DJs Lemz of DC9’s Sleaze and 9:30 Club’s Bent queer dance parties is joined by DJ Wess for what Lemz described on Instagram as a “chaotic outside pop party.” 5 to 10 p.m. $10.

Virginia Coalition at the Bullpen: Virginia Coalition’s good-time sound incorporated jam band grooves, Dave Matthews folk-rock and just a smidgen of go-go, making it easy to see why the Alexandria-rooted band was a fixture on local stages throughout the 2000s. The band even recorded an album at 9:30 Club, called, unsurprisingly, “Live at 9:30 Club.” Twenty-one years after VaCo first sold out the 9:30, the band headlines the Bullpen’s nostalgia-drenched Summer Concert Series. Gates open at 4 p.m. 7 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

Bonbon at Songbyrd: Bonbon is a “mini-festival” that brings together several of the city’s most vital DJs and performers to benefit SMYAL, a D.C. nonprofit that supports LGBTQ youth through leadership and mentorship. Dvonne, a founding member of the Noxeema Jackson collective, brings together influences that range from Luther Vandross and Notorious B.I.G. to goth industrial and raver club. Tommy C and Kristy La Rat are veterans of D.C. dance floors, expertly mixing tracks from across the disco-house-techno continuum and pan-Latin, diasporic dance music, respectively. The lineup is rounded out by Pwrpuff, Aphroditus, FRANXX and Gabberbitch69 — a purveyor of punishing, high-tempo tracks — and features a performance by Bambi, who produces “genderless and gendermore fantasies” as the mother of Haus of Bambi. 5 p.m. $20.

Silkroad Ensemble at Wolf Trap: The MacArthur Foundation “genius grant”-winning, multitalented Rhiannon Giddens embarks on her first tour with the venerable and versatile Silkroad Ensemble (founded by Yo-Yo Ma in 1998) since her appointment as its artistic director in 2020. On this tour, the ensemble is debuting “Phoenix Rising,” described as a “musical rebirth” for the group. Giddens and 13 Silkroad musicians will perform new commissions by Sandeep Das, Maeve Gilchrist and Kaoru Watanabe, as well as new arrangements by Giddens, Colin Jacobsen, Edward Pérez and Mazz Swift. 8 p.m. $32-$127.

Punk Rock Movie Night at Black Cat: Black Cat may be trading cinema for concerts on Sunday night, but the focus is still on music. The Red Room doubleheader includes “Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC,” a documentary about the influence of the venue Max’s Kansas City, a regular haunt for the Velvet Underground, the New York Dolls and other underground musicians in the 1970s, and “Sid: The Final Curtain,” a short documentary about Sid Vicious’s final concert at Max’s in September 1978. 7 p.m. $20.

‘The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical’ Live in Concert at the Kennedy Center: For Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, the road to the Grammys began with a question Barlow posted on TikTok: “Okay, but what if ‘Bridgerton’ was a musical?” Starting in January 2021, the duo workshopped songs for what became “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical,” a cycle of 15 songs inspired by Netflix’s racy period drama and posted straight to TikTok. Earlier this year, Barlow and Bear became the youngest winners of the Grammy for best musical theater album. But now the music is coming off TikTok and into the real world: This world premiere performance in the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall features the National Symphony Orchestra, Tony-winning singer Kelli O’Hara, and Ephraim Sykes of “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and “Hamilton.” 8 p.m. $39-$169.

Logan Ury at Sixth and I: Behavioral scientist Logan Ury is the “director of relationship science” at Hinge, the dating app famous for getting more mentions in the New York Times than any other. So when her latest book promises to teach singles “How to Not Die Alone,” recognizing and changing behaviors to remove “dating blind spots,” they listen. Ury visits Sixth and I for a doubleheader on Tuesday: The main event finds Ury in conversation with Rabbi Aaron Potek, discussing dating in all its forms. Show up early for a seminar on “How to Design Your Best Online Dating Profile,” and learn why you probably shouldn’t be using that photo. The conversation is offered in person as well as virtually; the workshop is in-person only. Dating profile workshop 6 to 7 p.m., conversation 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Talk $10-$26, workshop $30-$40.

Laura Veirs at Union Stage: For much of Laura Veirs’s career as a solo artist, her music was inextricably linked to Tucker Martine, an indie super-producer who helped helm her albums and is also Veirs’s ex-husband. While 2020’s “My Echo” was released after their divorce, the just-released “Found Light” is the first that sees the singer-songwriter processing, preparing and pushing through to a new phase of life and music. As she told NPR, “The whole process of making records was intertwined with my ex — who’s a great record producer, but I wanted to do it my own way.” On “Found Light,” Veirs’s lyrics are vivid poetry, full of sense-stimulating images like “vermilion suns” and “pomegranate fingertips,” and the songs grapple with how she has learned from pain, freed herself from burdens and returned to nature — and herself. 8 p.m. $20.