In May, there’s lots of great music in and around Washington, DC,  including the first shows at Wolftrap and lots of classic bands. So lets take the highlight tour.

At the Birchmere this month, a couple great guitarists, a killer mandolin player and a smooth piano player.

• Smooth jazz guitarist, Norman Brown. Sunday May 4, 2008  at 7:30 -$45.00
• Another guitarist, this one acoustic, Leo Kottke, brings his unconventional folksy 6 and 12-string slide guitar picking sound. Tuesday, May 13, 7:30 – $35.00

• Sultry sounding jazz pianist, Alex Bugnon – Saturday May 24, 7:30 - $29.50
• Bluegrass mandolin player David Grisman – Sunday May 25, 7:30 - $37.50

The Birchmere
3701 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22305 (map it)

At the State Theatre, it’s some great 80s and 90s sounds.

• On of DC’s favorite 1980s retro tribute bands, The Legwarmers, cover bands metal to pop, Brian Adams to the Go-Gos.  Friday and Saturday, May 16 & 17, 7:00 – $16.00
• The Gin Blossoms bring their big hits from the 1990s such as “Hey Jealousy”, “Found Out About You” and “Till I hear from You” to The Birchmere.  Thursday, May 22, 7:00 – $26.00

State Theatre
220 Washington Street
Falls Church, VA
703-237-0300 (map it) 

At Georgetown’s Blues Alley, a pop jazz great, and a band I loved in college and still enjoy today. 

Blues Alley
1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW
Washington, DC, 20007 (map it)

• In 1965, trumpeter Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass released two albums that swept America, Whipped Cream (and other delights) and Going Places. Both records became instant hits.  The cover of Whipped Cream, showing a female model dressed only in whipped cream was considered racy and quickly became a mid-1960s classic album cover. It also spurned a bunch of copycat album covers.  “Spanish Flea” and “Tijuana Taxi” are tunes just about everyone can hum. And one his tunes became the theme song for the Dating Game.  He’s performing with Bossa Nova singer, Lani Hall. Monday and Tuesday, May 12 & 13, 8:00 – $50.00
• The dynamic jazz-fusion of Yellowjackets – Thursday through Sunday, May 29 – June 1, two shows nightly, 8:00 & 10:00 – $32.50

MORE —>

9:30 Club in DC is hosing a very unique and politically active artist, Serj Tankian.

• System of a Down singer and guitarist, and co-founder of musical artist-based political activist organization, Axis of Justice, Serj Tankian brings his unconventional and unique sound of his latest CD, Elect the Dead. Thursday, May 15, 7:30, $25.00

9:30 Club
815 V Street, NW
Washington, DC (map it)
202-393-0930

Along with nightly up and coming bands, the Black Cat brings back an experimental psychedelic band from the late 1960s. Who knew they were still playing?

• Not sure if you’ll ask your kids to go with you, or your kids will want to invite you to join them, but The Electric Prunes are back.  I Had Too Much to Dream and Get Me to the World on Time were their biggest hits in 1966. Too Much was later covered by the punk band The Damned almost 20 years late.  A couple of the Prune’s tunes ended up on the soundtrack of the classic film, Easy Rider.

Black Cat
1811 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC (map it)
202-667-7960

The Ram’s Head in Annapolis brings a powerhouse, a fun singer and a forgotten member of the Beetles.

• Rock powerhouse Wishbone Ash inspired the aggressive sounds of band that would come years later, such as Thin Lizzy and Iron Maiden. And was a staple of my high school record collection, with other bands like Uriah Heep, King Crimson and Deep Purple. Check out this 1973 clip of the band playing one of their classics, Blowin’ Free. Monday, May 5, 7:00 – $23.50
• Singer-songwriter Vonda Shepard had a breakthrough when she was featured weekly performances on the hit television series Ally McBeal. Wednesday, May 7 – 7:00 & 9:30 – $35.00
• If you’re a Beatles fan, the band’s original drummer, Pete Best, was replaced in 1962 by Ringo Starr just a couple weeks before the band’s first recording session. For a few years he tried to recapture the magic of a new band, but failed. He worked as a government worker for over 20 years before deciding to get back into music.  He then formed The Pete Best Band and plays the classic early 1960s Liverpool sound. Thursday, May 29, 8:00 – $23.50

If you’re a Beatle’s fan, check out The Beatle Invasion, another great b5media blog.

Ram’s Head Tavern
33 West Street
Annapolis, MD 21401 (map it)
410-268-4545

And finally, the outdoor season opens at Wolftrap at the end of the month.

• The fast-footed Celtic dancers of Riverdance start things off with a bang. Thursday – Sunday, May 29 – June 1, Lawn – $20.00, Reserved seats – $40.00-$65.00 – 8:00, plus 2:00 shows on Saturday and Sunday.

Wolf Trap
1551 Trap Road
Vienna, VA 22182 (map it)

Images – Gin Blossoms, Leo Kottke, The Electric Prunes, 

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Post from: The DC Traveler

Sure it’s only March and the overnight temps are still near freezing, but why wait to get your tickets?

From classical symphonies from the National Symphony Orchestra, to country, pop, jazz, blues and rock, Wolf Trap is one of my favorite places to listen to live music under the stars in the Washington, DC area.

I prefer to relax and pack a gourmet picnic, a bottle of wine or champagne and throw down a blanket on the lawn, but reserved seats, under the roof (nice in case it rains), are also available.

Don’t want to hassle with packing a picnic or showing up with a cold Domino’s pizza? Dine before the show at the Ovation Restaurant in the park (reservations strongly recommended) or grab a boxed picnic at the Meals Beneath the Moon booth.

If its rained recently, bring a plastic liner or drop cloth for under your blanket, but chances are, you’ll probably experience the Wolf Trap slide.   But it happens to everyone, so don’t be alarmed.

For the best lawn seats, arrive 15-30 minutes before the park opens and have your picnic before the music starts.

Some of the must-see, always popular or more interesting shows on my list for this season include:

• Riverdance - May 29 – 31
• Gordon Lightfoot – June 14
• The always breezin’ George Benson – June 24
• Motown classics, The Temptations and The Four Tops – June 26
• The always popular Lyle Lovett – July 2
• Disco queen, Donna Summer – July 5
• The National Symphony Orchestra - on evening that looks very fun is the Tcheers for Tchaikovsky! Featuring Tchaikovsky favorites such as the 1812 Overture and Sleeping Beauty Suite - July 10
• Mr. Take Me to the River, Al Green – July 15
• Earth, Wind and Fire – July 16
• Jethro Tull – August 6 (Tull was one of my first big, live concerts I attended as a kid. So I suspect, for nostalgic reasons, I’ll go to reminisce along with songs from Aqualung and Thick as a Brick.)
• The always fun Latin rhythms of the Gypsy Kings – August 7-8 (two shows this year)
• B.B. King and Lucille – August 10
• Los Lonely Boys & Los Lobos – August 12
• Smokey Robinson – August 14
• Kenny Rogers and The Oak Ridge Boys – August 20
• Les Misérables – August 29 – September 7

Wolf Trap 
1551 Trap Road
Vienna, VA 22182 (map it)

Just off the Dulles Tollroad at Exit 15, just 15 minutes outside the Beltway.

Tickets – Lawn ticket average $25.00 with most reserved seating at $42.00, depending on the artist.  Tickets are available online, by phone 877-965-3872 or at the Wolf Trap box office.  Plays and dance performances may be higher.

Dates and Hours – The park open 90 minutes prior to the scheduled show time, with a few exception.

Nearest Metro subway station – take Metro to the West Falls Church station – Orange line, then the Wolf Trap shuttle bus for $5.00 round trip (exact fare required).  Click here for shuttle details. 

Parking – free parking is available, but arrive early to ensure you get a spot at more popular shows. Plan on a bit of a delay getting out of the lot afterwards.

Images – Flickr – Wolf Trap lawn, NSO at Wolf Trap, BB King, Lyle Lovett, Gypsy Kings conga drummer

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Post from: The DC Traveler