Ricky Martin at EagleBank Arena. The Indigo Girls at the Birchmere. Adore Delano at Baltimore Soundstage. Those are just three of the many wide-ranging (and far-flung) pop music highlights in our region this season. Many more favorites are sure-to-be discovered at two noteworthy music festivals — the return of the indie-oriented All Things Go Fall Classic at Union Market, and the star-studded debut of the two-day National Mall fundraiser, the Landmark Festival. But if you’re full of nostalgia for legacy acts, there are at least a dozen tribute-oriented concerts to choose from, featuring bands covering everyone from the Beatles to Weezer.
2015 SONIC CIRCUITS
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center 8230 Georgia Ave. Silver Spring, MD 301-608-9101 dc-soniccircuits.org
Pyramid Atlantic is the host for Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music. Among the nearly 30 acts scheduled to perform this year: Z’EV, Gut/Head, Chester Hawkins, Anthony Pirog, Mark Cisneros and Ian McColm, Mia Zabelka, Hay Fever, Black Spirituals, Boat Burning, and the electro-acoustic duo Salarymen. (9/18-20)
El Vy — Featuring Matt Berninger of the National and Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls & Menomena (11/11)
Rachael Yamagata (11/12)
Wild Child (11/13)
Yonder Mountain String Band (11/14)
Shakey Graves w/Those Darlins (11/15)
Shakey Graves (11/15)
Chris Robinson Brotherhood (11/17)
The Wood Brothers (11/18)
Azealia Banks — If only this queer-identified rapper wasn’t so homophobic and bitter (11/20)
Slow Magic & Giraffage (11/21)
Ryn Weaver (11/23)
The English Beat (11/25)
Keller Williams’ ThanksForGrassGiving — Larry Keel, Jason Carter, Jay Starling, Travis Book and Chris Pandolfi perform at this pot-touting concert (11/28)
Dark Star Orchestra — The nearly 15-year-old unofficial recreation of the Grateful Dead concert experience (12/3)
Deerhunter w/Atlas Sound — Queer singer-songwriter Bradford Cox will perform twice, both as leader of this punk band plus an opening set by his solo experimental side project (12/5)
THE ALDEN
McLean Community Center 1234 Ingleside Avenue McLean, VA 703-790-0123 aldentheatre.org
Julie Fowlis — “Music of the Scottish Isles” by this pure voiced singer (10/17)
John Eaton Holiday Spectacular — An afternoon of American Songbook standards, including holiday classics, from the celebrated local pianist and musicologist (12/19)
The lineup this year is headlined by up-and-coming Norwegian dance artist Kygo as well as neo-disco New York band The Knocks. Also includes Penguin Prison, Niykee Heaton, Baio, Powers, TigerTown, Chelsea Lankes, The Walking Sticks (10/10)
Brad Linde — Useless Machines is an innovative collection of jazz compositions from the Atlas Artist in Residence (9/18)
QuinTango — Internationally renowned, locally based troupe shares tango music and stories (9/24)
Heidi Martin — Jazz vocalist combines poetry, songs and monologues for a one-woman tribute to the indomitable Abbey Lincoln (9/24-26)
Eldar — Grammy-nominated, New York-based pianist (9/26)
Darius Jones & Emilie Lesbros — Composer and alto-saxophonist and vocalist perform as part of the Jazz at the Atlas series (10/3)
Ran Blake — Jazz master offers a rare concert performance (10/23-24)
Cyro Baptista & Banquet of the Spirits — A quartet following the philosophy of Anthropofagia, the Brazilian cultural movement from a century ago (11/13)
Jamie Baum Septet — Modern jazz drawing classical inspiration from Stravinsky and Ives, as well as from farther afield (11/21)
Debby Boone — “You Light Up My Life” singer and Pat’s daughter (11/12)
Madeleine Peyroux (11/17)
Suzanne Vega & Duncan Sheik — A night of popular hits plus music created for Vega’s Off-Broadway debut, Carson McCullers Talks About Love (11/18-19)
Rickie Lee Jones (11/20)
Sonny Landreth (11/21)
John Eaton — Pianist/musicologist offers “The Roaring Twenties: A Salute to the Jazz Age” (11/27)
Dream Discs: The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle, Moondance — Tribute to two of rock’s best-loved albums, from Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison, performed in their entirety (11/28)
Over The Rhine (12/4)
Calmus (12/6)
THE BIRCHMERE
3701 Mount Vernon Avenue Alexandria, VA 703-549-7500 birchmere.com
Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun, Jumpin’ Jupiter (9/18)
Brigitte w/Trio Caliente (9/19)
Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers (9/20)
Steve Earle & the Dukes w/the Mastersons (9/23)
John Ondrasik — Formerly of Five for Fighting, performing with a quartet (9/24)
Maysa & Her Jazz Funk Soul Orchestra (9/25)
Celebrating Danny Gatton and the Music of the Anacostia Delta — Hosted by WPFW’s Tom Cole and featuring clips from the Anacostia Delta documentary and live performances from musicians in the Gatton tradition, including Antohony Pirog, Dave Chappell, Dave Elliott, Joel Harrison, Robbie Magruder, Tom Principato (9/26)
Buddy Guy (9/28)
Patty Griffin w/Sam Lee (9/29)
Joel Hodgson, Pat Rothfuss and Paul & Storm — Nerds and Music (9/30)
Jose James w/Nao Yoshioka — “Yesterday I Had The Blues” featuring the music of Billie Holiday (10/1)
Pat McGee & Friends w/Brian Dunne (10/2)
Hiroshima (10/3)
The 1964: The Tribute (10/4)
Aaron Neville (10/5)
Melody Gardot (10/6)
Matt Nathanson — Show Me Your Fangs Tour (10/7)
Kenny Lattimore (10/9)
The Whispers (10/10-11)
the subdudes w/Vance Gilbert (10/15)
Hal Ketchum & Suzy Bogguss (10/16)
Keiko Matsui (10/17)
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (10/18)
The Wailin’ Jennys (10/20)
Michael McDonald (10/21)
Avery*Sunshine (10/22-23)
Commodores (10/25)
Loreena McKennitt (10/26-27)
Jay Farrar w/Holy Sons — Performing songs of Son Volt’s Trace and more (10/28)
Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin and the Guilty Ones w/Webb Wilder (10/31)
The Polyphonic Spree — A 15th Anniversary Tour performing The Beginning Stages of… in its entirety as well as deep cuts, choice covers and other surprises (11/1)
Indigo Girls w/A Fragile Tomorrow — The original lesbian folk duo (11/2)
Joshua Radin w/Anya Marina (11/3-4)
Delbert McClinton w/Damon Fowler (11/5)
Oleta Adams — ’90s-era R&B hit-maker returns for what’s becoming an annual stop at the Birchmere (11/6)
George Winston (11/8)
Toadies w/In The Whale — Masters of eerie rock (11/9)
Cooder-White-Skaggs (11/10-11)
Colin Hay (11/12-13)
Tom Paxton & Friends — “The Last Roundup” with special guests Janis Ian, Robin & Linda Williams, Jim Rooney and more (11/14)
Lee Ann Womack (11/15)
Acoustic Alchemy (11/16)
Narada Michael Walden (11/17)
Three Dog Night (11/18-19)
Jerry Douglas (11/22)
The Seldom Scene & Bumper Jacksons (11/27-28)
A Peter White Christmas feat. Mindi Abair & Rick Braun (12/2)
Sheila E (12/3)
Blood Sweat & Tears featuring Bo Bice (12/4)
Cheryl Wheeler & John Gorka (12/5)
Squeeze Acoustic — “The At Odds Couple,” an Evening with Difford & Tilbrook (12/6)
David Benoit Christmas w/Jane Monheit — “Tribute to Charlie Brown” (12/7)
Fourplay (12/8)
Rosanne Cash w/John Leventhal (12/9)
The Dan Band — Holiday Show! (12/10)
Judy Collins w/Ari Hest (12/11-12)
Gad Elmaleh — “All in English” (12/13)
Asleep at the Wheel — “Merry Texas Christmas Y’all!” (12/16)
Carbon Leaf (12/17-18)
Pieces of a Dream (12/19)
Robert Glasper Experiment (12/20)
Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes (12/26)
Mint Condition — Holiday Show (12/28-30)
MO’Fire featuring In Gratitude, Motown & More — Tributes to Earth, Wind & Fire and Motown and Soul Legends (1/1/16)
Travis Tritt (1/12/16)
Emily West (1/23/16)
BLACK CAT
1811 14th St. NW Washington, DC 202-667-4490 blackcatdc.com
Common People — DJ lil’e’s ’90s alt-pop and ’90s hip-hop dance party (9/19)
Jungle/Fever — The Beard & the Fro present this party featuring DJ Mista Selecta and DJ Mane Squeeze (9/19)
Jack on Fire w/Head-Roc, Cool People (9/21)
Joyce Manor (9/23)
Dream Boat (9/24)
El Ten Eleven (9/25)
Dark & Stormy — DJ Shea Van Horn’s “darker side of dance/electro/retro” party (9/25)
Low (9/26)
Parlor Mob (9/27)
Fidlar w/Dune Rats (9/28)
Hemlines w/Homosuperior (9/30)
Joey Cape (10/1)
Noah Gundersen w/Field Report (10/3)
Bae Bae: A K-Pop Dance Night — DJs Dakdahri and Chimek (10/3)
Radkey — Black metal band of brothers (10/4)
Computer Magic (10/6)
Lee Bains III & the Glory Fires Pujol (10/7)
SaintSeneca (10/8)
Metalachi (10/9)
Futurebirds (10/10)
Electric Six (10/11)
Mal Blum (10/12)
Tricot (12/13)
Goatsnake (10/14)
Blitzen Trapper (10/15)
Telekinesis — Intriguing synth-pop (10/19)
Boys Life (10/20)
Babes in Toyland (10/24)
The Menzingers (10/25)
The Ex & Ken Vandermark (10/27)
Eighties Mayhem — DJs Steve EP, Killa K, Missguided and Krasty McNasty offer an ’80s Halloween Dance Party (10/30)
The Halloween Circus (10/31)
Night Streets (11/2)
Marching Church (11/3)
Movits! (11/4)
We Were Promised Jetpacks (11/6)
DIIV (11/7) Allison Weiss (11/9)
Moving Units (11/10)
Fuzz (11/13)
Wand (11/15)
Priests— D.C.’s mixed-gender, mixed-sexuality, hard-charging punk band (11/17)
Exodus (11/18)
!!! — A punky, neo-disco band inspired by Paradise Garage (11/19)
Okkervil River — Performing Black Sheep Boy (11/20)
Sinkane — Funky pop tunes from the London-born musician (11/25)
Darwin Deez w/Charly Bliss (12/9)
The Get Up Kids — A 20th Anniversary Tour with opening sets from Into It. Over It. and Rozwell Kid (12/13)
BLUES ALLEY
1073 Wisconsin Avenue NW Washington, DC 703-549-7500 bluesalley.com
Regina Belle — Peabo Bryson’s duet partner on the Aladdin ballad “A Whole New World” now mostly sings gospel tunes (9/18-20)
Darrell Hill (9/21)
Joshua Breakstone (9/22)
Mark G. Meadows (9/23)
Gabbie McGee (9/24)
Syleena Johnson — Couples Therapy Tour from the soul singer-songwriter (9/25-27)
The Fruition Experiment (9/28)
Kathleen Bertrand (9/290
Marianne Solivan (9/30)
Rachelle Ferrell — Celebrated jazz vocalist and keyboardist (10/1-4)
Roy Hargrove — Considered one of the premier players in jazz (10/6-11)
Karin & Mike Kelleher (10/12)
Kenya — The 2014 recipient of the Black Women in Jazz’s Best Black Female Rising Star Jazz Artist award (10/13)
Najee (10/16-18)
Sanjay Mishra (10/20)
Rudresh Mahanthappa — “Bird Calls” (10/24-25)
Christiana Drapkin & Mike Gellar Quartet (10/26)
Cecily — Cecily Bumbray’s sound is rooted in a deep appreciation for mid-century soul and jazz, ’90s R&B, and re-imagined folk (10/27)
Byron Miller (10/28)
John Pizzarelli — The prime interpreter of the Great American Songbook offers “McCartney & More” (10/29-11/1)
Jody Watley — Gay-affirming soul and dance artist offers a concert toasting her disco roots with “Shalamar Reloaded” (11/6-8)
Danni (11/9)
Juanito Pascual New Flamenco Trio (11/10)
Jonathan Butler (11/12-15)
Tamara Wellons (11/16)
Alex Bugnon (11/27-29)
Arturo Sandoval — Latin Jazz legend returns for an annual weekend run of shows (12/3-5)
Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra — A holiday big band show performing Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker Suite (12/8-9)
Marcus Johnson — A funky smooth seasonal soundtrack (12/10-13)
It’s A Small World — “A Multicultural Musical Extravaganza” featuring the American Youth Chorus, Congressional Chorus Chamber Ensemble and NorthEast Senior Singers (11/1, Lutheran Church of the Reformation)
Living, Laughing & Loving — “Celebrating the Circle of Life through Song, Dance and Poetry” (11/14, Church of the Epiphany)
10th Annual Holiday Concert & Sing-Along — Featuring the American Youth Chorus (12/13)
Music Magic Mast Kalaiyaan — Elite Bollywood Entertainment presents this concert featuring Indian pop stars Sukhwinder Singh and Kanika Kapoor (9/19)
Roger Waters & Special Guests Billy Corgan and Tom Morello — The frontmen of Pink Floyd, Smashing Pumpkins and Rage Against the Machine offer a concert benefiting the Wounded Veterans of Musicorps (10/16)
Festival of Praise 2015 — National gospel tour features Fred Hammond, Donnie McClurkin and Kim Burrell and others (11/1)
Don Henley — A fall concert by the founder of the Eagles (11/5)
70’s Soul Sounds: Temptations Review — A show featuring Dennis Edwards, Bloodstone, Black Ivory and the Jones Girls (11/6)
Glen Hansard — IMP Productions presents this Irish singer-songwriter, best known for his Tony-winning score for Once (11/28)
Donald Harrison Jr. — A Friday Music Series concert featuring the creator of Nouveau Swing, a style merging R&B and hip-hop with traditional jazz (10/23)
Georgetown University Jazz Ensemble — Annual Holiday Concert (12/4)
GU Jazz Ensemble — Professor Aaron Broadus leads this group in a program featuring some of Charles Mingus’s most famous hits, along with additional jazz standards and favorites (12/5)
DC9
1940 9th Street NW Washington, DC 202-483-5000 dcnine.com
Discnotheque — DJs Sean Morris and Bill Spieler spin this cellphones-discouraged house party every Friday night
Peach Pit — DJ Matt Bailer’s popular, ’90s pop-focused party (9/19)
Throwing Back Sunday (9/20)
Brave Baby (9/20)
The Bellfuries (9/22)
The Boundary Stones (9/23)
Truly (9/24)
Phil Cook (9/25)
Steve’n’Seagulls (9/26)
A People’s Choir: Art All Night — A casual sing-along (9/26)
Mikaela Davis — A harpist/singer-songwriter on the rise (9/27)
American Wrestlers (9/28)
Good Graeff (9/29)
Superhumanoids (9/30)
Reigning Sound (10/1)
Maritime (10/3)
Liberation Dance Party (10/3)
The Very Small (10/4)
The Lighthouse and The Whaler (10/5)
The Glorious Sons — The Contender Tour (10/6)
Pure Bathing Culture (10/7)
Teen Daze (10/8)
Matthew Friedberger (10/9)
Drinks (10/11)
Deaf Wish (10/12)
Paperhaus — Popular local psychedelic pop band (10/13)
Empress Of (10/14)
King Dude (10/15)
Brent & Co. (10/16)
Dungen (10/17)
Braids (10/19)
Israel Nash (10/20)
Landshapes (10/21)
Caspian (10/22)
Susto (10/23)
Little May (10/24)
Kill Lincoln (10/25)
David Ryan Harris (10/27)
July Talk and Little Hurricane — Dr Martens Stand For Something Tour (10/28)
Joanna Gruesome — A Welsh, noise-pop five-piece (11/1)
Strange Names (11/3)
The Hotelier (11/4)
The Dirty Nil (11/6)
Waters (11/7)
Mitski (11/11)
Dilly Dally (11/12)
Made of Oak — Featuring Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso (11/18)
Beat Connection (11/19)
Alex Bleeker and the Freaks (11/21)
Car Seat Headrest & Ne-Hi (12/7)
Girl Band (12/10)
Jesse Merchant (12/17)
EagleBank Arena
George Mason University 4500 Patriot Circle Fairfax, VA 703-993-3000 eaglebankarena.com
Ricky Martin (10/9)
Marc Anthony & Carlos Vives (10/11)
Juan Gabriel (11/1)
TobyMac (11/14)
Alejandro Fernandez (11/21)
Christmas with Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith (12/20)
ECHOSTAGE
2135 Queens Chapel Road NE Washington, DC 202-503-2330 echostage.com
Tchami w/Don Diablo — Part one of “Echoversary” (9/18)
Bingo Players w/Henry Fong — Part two of “Echoversary” (9/19)
Armin Van Buuren — A veteran electronic/dance music DJ/producer and still one of the best (9/24)
Oliver Heldens w/Cazzette — A new Dutch DJ/producer, groomed by his fellow countryman Tiesto (9/25)
Future — One of hip-hop’s newer stars (10/2)
J Balvin (10/3)
DVBBS — Canadian EDM brothers, best known for the international club banger “Tsunami” (10/10)
Kaskade — Originally a smooth house/chillout DJ and producer, now harder and more popular (10/16)
Mega DC feat. Nero (10/17)
Disclosure — One of today’s sharpest house acts (10/21-22)
Duke Dumont — Another appealing new neo-house act from the U.K. (10/24)
Safe in Sound Festival — Featuring Bro Safari, Datsik, Zomboy (10/25)
Cash Cash + Tritonal (10/30)
The Chainsmokers — A remixing powerhouse (10/31)
GTA (11/13)
James Bay — The latest young, soulful British artist (11/14)
All Time Low & Sleeping with Sirens (11/16)
The Wilderness Politics Tour — Featuring Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and New Politics with the Griswolds and Lolo (11/17)
Free Late Night Music: Moonshine Society — The Hamilton offers free music in its loft bar, with a rotating roster of local acts worth supporting (9/18)
Free Late Night Music: Vintage #18 ((9/19)
The Nightowls (9/20)
Jackie Greene (9/22)
Spirit Family Reunion (9/23)
moe. (9/24)
The London Souls and Son Little — Official Landmark Festival Pre-show (9/25)
Free Late Night Music: Magic Bus featuring Tender Polman and Brian Goddard (9/25)
Red Baraat — Official Landmark Festival Aftershow (9/26)
Carly Harvey (9/26)
Martin Taylor, Frank Vignola, Vinny Raniolo and Peppino D’Agostino — “The Great Guitars” (9/30)
Lee Ritenour (10/2)
Free Late Night Music: Justin Trawick and the Common Good (10/3)
Free Late Night Music: David Kitchen Band (10/3)
Yacht Rock Revue (10/4)
ALO w/Fruition (10/8)
Free Late Night Music: 19th Street Band (10/9)
Newmyer Flyer Presents: A John Lennon Birthday Tribute — Various local music acts perform hits from Lennon’s time in the Beatles and his solo career (10/10)
Free Late Night Music: Johnny & the Headhunters (10/10)
Kinky Friedman — Loneliest Man I Ever Met Tour (10/12)
John Grant — The gay basso profondo singer-songwriter whose frequently heard music was one of the few redeeming things about HBO’s Looking (10/13)
The Taj Mahal Trio (10/14)
Bettye LaVette — Impressive, hard-living soul singer who has been incredibly forthcoming about her many dalliances with women (10/15)
Big Something (10/16)
Free Late Night Music: Shartel & Hume (10/16)
Free Late Night Music: Moonshine Society (10/17)
Ed Kowalczyk — Former lead singer of Live offers “Throwing Copper Unplugged” (10/18)
Chiara Civello (10/19)
Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad (10/22)
American Aquarium (10/23)
Free Late Night Music: Lloyd Dobler Effect (10/23)
Free Late Night Music: Magic Bus featuring Tender Polman and Brian Goddard (10/24)
Pete Rock & C.L. SMooth (10/25)
Portland Cello Project (10/28)
Tim O’Brien and Old Man Luedecke (10/30)
Free Late Night Music: Speakers of the House (10/30)
Newmyer Flyer Presents: The Mini Halloween Howl — Various local music acts will perform along with monsters from the last 40 years (10/31)
Brass-A-Holics (11/1)
David Cook — The former American Idol winner (11/3)
Civil Twilight (11/4)
The Bros. Landreth (11/5)
Lera Lynn (11/6)
Free Late Night Music: Lloyd Dobler Effect (11/6)
Free Late Night Music: Moonshine Society (11/7)
Peter Himmelman Band (11/8)
Stephen Kellogg (11/10)
Jon McLaughlin (11/12)
Newmyer Flyer Presents: The Last Waltz Tribute — Various local music acts, including Julia Nixon, Tommy Lepson and Margot MacDonald, perform a tribute to The Band (11/13)
Free Late Night Music: Brent & Co (11/13)
Free Late Night Music: David Kitchen Band (11/14)
Del & Dawg — Featuring Del McCoury and David Grisman (11/15)
Free Late Night Music: 19th Street Band (11/20)
The Musicmaker Revue — Old Ebbitt Grill Oyster Riot After Party featuring Cool John Ferguson, Ironing Board Sam, Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen and others (11/21)
Bruce In The USA (11/27)
Free Late Night Music: Speakers of the House (10/30)
NRBQ (11/28)
Free Late Night Music: Michael Scoglio (11/28)
Allen Toussaint Trio (11/30)
Free Late Night Music: Moonshine Society (12/4)
Free Late Night Music: Justin Trawick and the Common Good (12/5)
Bronze Radio Return w/Brothers McCann (12/9)
Free Late Night Music: 19th Street Band (12/11)
Free Late Night Music: Brent & Co (12/12)
Free Late Night Music: Michael Scoglio (12/18)
Free Late Night Music: Speakers of the House (12/19)
Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals — A Holiday Show from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer (12/20)
Start Making Sense w/HmfO — Tribute bands to Talking Heads and Hall & Oates (12/29)
HILL CENTER
Old Navy Hospital 921 Pennsylvania Avenue SE Washington, DC 202-549-4172 HillCenterDC.org
Nasar Abadey — Hot 5 @ Hill Center: Jazz on a Summer’s Eve (9/20)
Ken Waldman — “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet” (9/25)
Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen — Popular bluegrass band performs a concert after Hill Center’s Family Fun Festival (9/27)
Rahim AlHaj — A Dounouya: Global Sounds on the Hill concert (9/30)
Min Xiao Fen — Composer and pipa virtuoso (10/7)
Foghorn Stringband w/Joel Savoy and Jesse Lege — Part of the American Roots Music Series at Hill Center (10/13)
Hill Center Jazz Ensemble — Marshall Keys leads this ensemble now in its fourth year (11/5)
Back to the 90s — Two nights of ’90s-era tribute bands, from Lithium (Nirvana), Good Time Boys (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Wrestle with Jimmy (Weezer) and Garden Grove (Sublime) (10/30-31)
Josh Kelley (11/1)
Simon Townshend (11/3)
Declan O’Rouke, Peter Breinholt (11/4)
Joseph Arthur (11/6)
Lucy Kaplansky (11/7)
Noah Guthrie (11/8)
The Stone Foxes (11/8)
Daniel Powter (11/10)
Paul Brady (11/11)
The Fabulous Dialtones (11/12)
Luke Brindley, Jay Nash (11/13)
Shane Koyczan (11/15)
Against the Current (11/17)
Richard Shindell (11/18)
Radney Foster (11/19)
Greg Brown (11/20)
The Ocean Blue (11/21)
Have Mercy (11/22)
Noah Hunt, Mato Nanji and Shun Ng (11/23)
Parthenon Huxley & Friends — Performing the hits of ELO and the Beatles (11/28)
The Paper Kites (12/5)
Martin Barre — Known from Jethro Tull (12/6)
Cas Haley (12/8)
Jenn Grinels (12/9)
Commander Cody & His Modern Day Airmen (12/10)
Toby Lightman (12/11)
A Cappella Afternoon: Exit 245 and BluesTones (12/20)
Griffin House (12/20)
Todd Wright’s 13th Annual Santa Clauster-f@%! Christmas Spectacular (12/22-23)
Postmodern Jukebox — “We take pop music back in time” (11/3)
Soulful Symphony — A 15th anniversary concert featuring the world premiere of The Audacity of Hope, artistic director Darin Atwater’s four-movement piece inspired by Barack Obama (11/27-28)
Judy Collins w/Ari Hest (11/29)
KENNEDY CENTER
Terrace Theater 2700 F Street NW Washington, DC 202-467-4600 kennedy-center.org
KC Jazz Club: Jimmy Cobb Trio — NEA Jazz Master drummer brings his trio to open the new jazz season at the Kennedy Center (10/2)
KC Jazz Club: Kurt Rosenwinkel (10/3)
Jason Moran & Jeremy Denk — Two MacArthur “Genius Award”-winning pianists team up for the first time to explore the connections between their jazz and classical traditions (10/9)
KC Jazz Club: E.J. and Marcus Strickland — Twin brothers make their debut at the Kennedy Center as a drummer and saxophone duo (10/10)
KC Jazz Club: Joanne Brackeen — The former member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers has helped define modern piano jazz (10/16)
Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Terri White — Barbara Cook brings White back to the Kennedy Center for a cabaret after her show-stopping performance in Follies a few years ago (10/31)
KC Jazz Club: Derrick Hodge (10/17)
The Crossroads Club: Revive Music — The Roots’s pianist Ray Angry leads a reimagined recording of the classic Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (10/20, Atrium)
Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Randy Graff — Known as the original Fantine in Les Miserables and for her Tony-winning role in City of Angels (10/30)
KC Jazz Club: Marquis Hill Blacktet — Winner of the 2014 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Trumpet Competition (11/6)
Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: Michele Lee — “Nobody Does It Like Me, The Music of Cy Coleman” is the title of the cabaret from this Emmy and Tony nominee (11/6)
Butler, Bernstein & the Hot 9 (11/7, Terrace)
Dorado Schmitt and the Django Festival All-Stars (11/13)
KC Jazz Club: Lynne Arriale, Carla Cook and Grace Kelly — “Celebrating Great Women of Jazz: Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell” (11/14)
Barbara Cook’s Spotlight: John Lloyd Young — Tony Award winner from Jersey Boys offers a solo cabaret (11/20)
KC Jazz Club: Carmen Lundy (11/20-21)
25th Annual NPR’s A Jazz Piano Christmas (12/4)
KC Jazz Club: Fresh Cut Orchestra — A 10-piece jazz ensemble from Philadelphia (12/12)
KC Jazz Club: Javon Jackson and Sax Appeal featuring NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Heath (12/19-19)
Dianne Schuur and Strings: A Jazz New Year’s Eve — “Celebrating Sinatra’s Centenary” (12/31)
KC Jazz Club: Rene Marie — “I Wanna Be Evil, a Tribute to Earth Kitt” (1/29/16)
LANDMARK FESTIVAL FOR THE NATIONAL MALL
West Potomac Park West Basin Drive SW Washington, DC 888-512-7469 landmarkfestival.org
The Trust for the National Mall is throwing this blockbuster two-day festival to kickoff a national campaign to raise money to restore the Mall, which hasn’t had a major renovation in nearly 40 years. Among the highlights: Drake, Ben Howard, Miguel, Nate Ruess of fun., and Wale (9/26); The Strokes, alt-J, Chvrches, Chromeo and TV on the Radio (9/27)
Season Preview — Monuments and Miniatures is the fitting theme of the new milestone season of Levine, its 40th (9/26)
Kickin’ It With the Masters — A program focused on jazz organ compositions by Jimmy Smith, Jack McDuff and Shirley Scott (10/10, Levine at Strathmore)
Electric Miles — Jazz fusion as pioneered by Miles Davis (11/7)
Intimate Ellington — Brad Linde, Josh Walker, Regan Brough, Andrew Hare and Chuck Redd perform a series of solos and duet pieces by D.C. native Duke Ellington (12/19)
American Idiot — Act Two @ Levine hosts a performance of the two-time Tony-winning Green Day musical (1/15/16, Arena Stage)
Richard Cheese & Lounge Against the Machine — Billed “America’s loudest lounge singer” who performs Vegas versions of rock, rap and Top 40 hits (10/30)
Beirut (11/3-4)
Marina and the Diamonds — Quirky dance-pop from full-voiced Greek-British singer-songwriter (11/6)
Steve Hackett — Genesis founder (11/13)
LISNER AUDITORIUM
George Washington University 730 21st Street NW Washington, DC 202-994-6800 lisner.org
Stairway to Paradise: A Gershwin Spectacular — Luke Frazier conducts two recently formed groups, the American Pops Orchestra and the National Broadway Chorus, in a toast to the Gerswhins. Also features Broadway’s Christine Ebersole and Paige Faure (10/16)
National Broadway Chorus: A Broadway Christmas with Elaine Paige and Ron Raines — The Broadway superstar reteams with her colleague from the Kennedy Center’s hit Broadway production of Follies (12/16)
Paul Rodgers — The rocker performs with his band for the 16th Annual “One Night One Show One Cause” concert, a benefit for the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center (10/10)
Mercy Me (10/23)
Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band — Former Beatle performs with Steve Lukather of Toto, Gregg Rolie of Santana and Journey, Richard Page of Mr. Mister, Todd Rundgren of Utopia, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette of Electric Light Orchestra (10/28)
George Benson (11/12)
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis (12/10)
Alabama Shakes w/Drive By Truckers — Soul-powered rock (9/18)
Of Monsters and Men w/Oh Land — Icelandic chamber-pop group with an experimental, electronic Danish artist (9/20)
WPOC Weekend in the Country — Brantley Gilbert and Sam Hunt perform both days of this country music festival that closes the season at Merriweather (10/3-4)
The Legwarmers — D.C.’s largest ’80s retro dance party, exported to Charm City (9/19)
Purity Ring (9/21)
Tori Kelly (9/24)
Sturgill Simpson (9/25)
Kix (9/26)
Buddy Guy (9/27)
Father John Misty (9/28)
Lee Brice — WPOC presents the Jagermeister Country Tour (9/29)
Beats Antique (10/1)
Lake Street Drive (10/2)
Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls (10/3)
Toro Y Moi (10/4)
Polaroak, Shady Lady, Broke Til Friday, Jason Gonet and the Driftwood Renegades, Against Better Judgement, Late Risers — “The Road to Frozen Harbor: Episode 1” showcase of regional bands (10/9)
Twiddle & The Works (10/10)
Mat Kearney (10/13)
Glass Animals (10/14)
No Scrubs — Will Eastman and Brian Billion’s ’90s-focused party (10/16)
Magic Wax & Janelle (10/17)
Go Go Gadjet — An electric funk band with an immersive musical and visual show (10/23)
Circa Survive — Rams Head & Monozine present Juturna 10 Year Anniversary Tour (10/24)
Raheem DeVaughn & Leela James (10/25)
Everclear — 20th Anniversary Tour: Sparkle and Fade (10/27)
Kip Moore — WPOC pressents a “Jam-BOO-ree” (10/31)
Theory of a Deadman (11/4)
The Turnpike Troubadours (11/6)
Guster (11/7)
The Wonder Years & Motion City Soundtrack (11/24)
The Bridge (11/25)
The Wombats (11/27)
DigiTour Slaybells Ice (12/6)
Matisyahu — “Festival of Light: An Intimate Evening” (12/10)
Elliott Yamin & Blake Lewis — The Soul Box Tour (9/29)
The Artimus Pyle Band — Honoring the Music of Ronnie Van Zant’s Lynyrd Skynyrd (10/1)
Hiroshima (10/2)
Lee Ritenour (10/3)
Cowboy Junkies (10/4)
Moonchild (10/5)
Melody Gardot (10/5, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts)
Shemekia Copeland (10/7)
Bret Michaels (10/8)
The Ann Wilson Thing (10/9-10)
Josh Rouse (10/11)
Renaissance — Formed from the ashes of seminal British rock band The Yardbirds (10/11)
Vanilla Fudge (10/12)
Kinky Friedman — Hailed as the Frank Zappa of country music (10/13)
The Subdudes (10/14)
Suzy Bogguss & Hal Ketchum (10/15)
Jessy J & Nate Harasim — That’s Jessy J, the jazz artist, not Jessie J, the pop star (10/16)
Phil Vassar (10/17)
Al Jarreau (10/17, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts (10/17)
PigPen Theatre Co. (10/18)
Keiko Matsui (10/18)
Taj Mahal Trio (10/20)
Maria Muldaur (10/22)
The Morrison Brothers (10/23)
Yuna (10/24)
Avery*Sunshine (10/25)
The Polyphonic Spree — 15th Anniversary Tour (10/26)
Mary Gauthier & Eliza Gilkyson — Lesbian rocker tours with a fellow Americana traveler (10/28)
The Tubes featuring Fee Waybill (10/29)
Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin with the Guilty Ones (10/30)
Tim O’Brien & Old Man Luedecke — “A Hillbilly Halloween” (10/31)
Elephant Revival (10/31)
Adler — Featuring Steven Adler from Guns N’ Roses (11/1)
Indigo Girls (11/1, Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts)
David Cook — An acoustic evening with the American Idol winner (11/2)
Chatham County Line (11/3)
Jody Watley featuring Shalamar (11/4)
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers (11/5)
Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (11/6)
Oleta Adams (11/7)
Mike Farris Band (11/11)
Tommy Emmanuel (11/12-13)
Newmyer Flyer Presents: The Last Waltz Tribute — A group of area musicians — among them Julia Nixon, Big Joe Maher, Tommy Lepson and Margot MacDonald — recreate music of The Band and others who performed at their farewell concert (11/14)
David Mayfield & Sean McConnell (11/15)
Acoustic Alchemy (11/15)
Morgan James (11/16)
Rhiannon Giddens — Former leader of the great, black bluegrass band The Carolina Chocolate Drops (11/17)
Loose Ends featuring Jane Eugene (11/19)
Robert Randolph & the Family Band (11/20)
Greg Brown (11/21)
Noah Hunt & Mato Nanji — Vocalist for Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band and frontman of Indigenous (11/22)
Technicolor Motor Home — A Steely Dan tribute (11/22)
Macy Gray (11/23)
NRBQ (11/27)
Little River Band (11/29)
Dublin 5 (12/1)
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (12/2)
Blood Sweat & Tears feat. Bo Bice (12/3)
Peter White’s Christmas — Featuring Mindi Abair & Rick Braun (12/4)
Samantah Fish (125)
Ted Vigil w/Joan & Joni — A John Denver Tribute preceded by a Musical Tribute to Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell (12/9)
Bill Kirchen & Too Much Fun — Honky Tonk Holiday Show (12/10)
Carbon Leaf (12/11-12)
Leslie West of Mountain (12/13)
Marshall Tucker Band (12/16)
Pieces of a Dream (12/18)
Maysa & Her Jazz Funk Soul Orchestra — Featuring music from A Very Maysa Christmas and Back 2 Love (12/19)
Robert Glasper Experiment (12/21)
Stephen Kellogg (12/27)
Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes (12/28)
Deanna Bogart Band (12/29)
Seldom Scene (12/30)
Maggie’s Music Celebration for the New Year — Maggie Sansone hosts this toast also featuring Robin Bullock and special guests Seth Kibel, Andrea Hoag and Matthew Bell (1/3/16)
Crunt — EDM duo of Nick Licitra and Jake Ellis offer a hometown dance party (9/18)
Brodown Throwdown 4 — Acts duke it out on three floors, led by Justin Jones and Shark Week on the first floor (9/19)
DJs Rex Riot & Basscamp (9/19, and every Saturday night)
Algiers — Dramatic, dirge-like goth-pop with echoes of gospel and Civil Rights-era protest soul (9/20)
Gardens & Villa (9/24)
Black Masala — D.C.-based multicultural gypsy brass band (9/25)
Eli August & the Abandoned Buildings’s Roadshow (9/26)
Doomtree (9/27)
Lydia (9/29)
Little Green Cars — Dramatic folk-rock quintet from Ireland (9/30)
Bully — Young and punky indie-rock band from Nashville (10/1)
Four Year Strong (10/2)
Pentagram (10/3)
Lower Dens — The return of Baltimore’s experimental rock band (10/10)
The Dear Hunter — High concept dramatic rock (10/13)
Matt Pond PA (10/14)
Mac Demarco (10/14)
Borns — A dreamy blend of folk, glam and electro from, of all places, Michigan (10/15)
Mercury Rev (10/16)
The Struts (10/21)
Here We Go Magic — Progressive folk-pop (10/22)
Kylesa (10/24)
Southern Culture on the Skids (10/25)
The Bright Light Social Hour (10/27)
White Ford Bronco — The ’90s-era pop cover band offers a sure-to-be-spooky pre-Halloween show (10/30)
Tragedy: A Metal Tribute to the Bee Gees & Beyond — But for a truly spooky Halloween show, check out “Misfits and Metal Hits” presented by Van Schleibaum (10/31)
Tracy Lynn Olivera — Signature favorite musical actor returns for another run of cabaret, this time “a Halloween spooktacular” (10/27-31)
Christmas with Nova Y. Payton and Friends — Signature’s youngest powerhouse performer, star of Dreamgirls and Hairspray, performs a cabaret of some of her holiday favorites (12/8-14)
SIXTH & I HISTORIC SYNAGOGUE
600 I Street NW Washington, DC 202-408-3100 sixthandi.org
Cecile McLorin Salvant — The quirky, sophisticated and soulful jazz vocalist (think Billie Holiday meets Ella Fitzgerald) tours in support of her new set For One to Love (10/3)
Edgar Meyer & Christian McBride — A double take on the double bass, as a classical/folk/bluegrass Renaissance man and jazzmaster offer a thrilling exploration of the deep space between genre and expectation (10/22)
Joey Alexander Trio — At 12 years, this jazz pianist is the youngest mainstage artist ever to be presented by Washington Performing Arts (11/21)
Anonymous 4 with Bruce Molsky — A valedictory D.C. performance of this soon-to-retire virtuosic singing ensemble, appearing here with “the Rembrandt of Appalachian Fiddle” (11/22)
THE STATE THEATRE
220 North Washington Street Falls Church, VA 703-237-0300 thestatetheatre.com
The Legwarmers (9/25-26)
Eric Lindell (9/27)
Boombox/UA — Andriy Khlyvnyuk leads this Ukrainian band, celebrating 10 years of recording (9/29)
Dailey & Vincent (10/2)
Albatross and Diwas Gurung — Gorkhaly Foundation presents this “Voyage to Shangri-La Concert for Nepal,” a benefit for VA-TF1 International Urban Search and Rescue team and Team Rubicon for efforts in Nepal Earthquake Relief (10/9)
Passafire w/BlackBeat SoundSystem and Lionize (10/8)
Burton Cummings (10/10)
Reckless Kelly — Country/rock band, with an opening set by local band Scott Kurt & Memphis 59 (10/11)
The Mavericks — Cuban-American Raul Malo leads this country-steeped garage band founded in 1989 in Miami (10/23-24)
Elephant Revival w/Nora Jane Struthers and Joe Overton (10/29)
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers (11/6)
Saved by the 90’s — A Party with the Bayside Tigers w/DJ Suga Ray (11/21)
The Nighthawks and Skip Castro Band (11/27)
Zoso — The 20-year-old “Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience” (11/28)
Samantha Fish (12/06)
Bruce in the USA — “The World’s #1 Tribute to Bruce Springsteen” (1/16/16)
STRATHMORE
5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda, MD 301-581-5100 strathmore.org
Bela Fleck & Chick Corea Duet — The duo of longtime collaborators explore the worlds of jazz, bluegrass, rock, flamenco, gospel and more, just as they do on their second, just-released album together Two (9/30, Music Center)
Brown & Breen Piano Duo with Russell Smith — Pianists Bonnie Brown and Louisa Breen perform Peter Sculthorpe’s last composition Island Songs, written for two pianos and didgeridoo (10/2, Mansion)
Chris Cornell — IMP Productions presents a solo show from this former frontman of Soundgarden (10/14, Music Center)
Rochelle Rice — Strathmore Artist in Residence alumni puts a soulful spin on an array of holiday classics ranging from medieval plainchant to Stevie Wonder (12/18, Mansion)
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis — A big holiday concert featuring the preeminent big band in the land (12/12, Music Center)
Kristin Chenoweth — “Coming Home Tour” takes the audience through this Broadway legend’s career-defining moments, from Wicked to Glee to a piece from Andrew Lippa’s new production I Am Anne Hutchinson (1/29/16, Music Center)
Alan Cumming — “Sings Sappy Songs” features this Tony Award winner transforming Valentine’s Day through comic banter with songs by Annie Lennox, Elaine Stritch and Rufus Wainwright (2/14/16, Music Center)
Stevie Wonder — Songs in the Key of Life Performance Tour (10/3)
The Who — Hits 50! Tour (11/1)
Dead & Company — Grateful Dead members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann and Bob Weir offer a retrospective show, accompanied by John Mayer and others (11/6)
The Weeknd — The Madness Fall Tour (11/15)
Trans-Siberian Orchestra — The Ghosts of Christmas Eve Tour is a conceptual, progressive-rock concert following the story of a young runaway who has visions from the past after sneaking into an abandoned vaudeville theater (12/10)
Andrea Bocelli — Returning to the U.S. for his annual December Holiday Tour of soaring arias, famed love songs and crossover hits (12/13)
Billie Holiday is onstage dwindling before our eyes, struggling to sustain the fire that brought her to this moment. She's already told her audience, "You can only get to where you're at by way of where you've been," and this iconic performer has been to hell and back -- whorehouses, prison, addiction, heartache -- but she's still here, barely.
The Billie Holiday portrayed in Lanie Robertson's Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill comprises a fascinating, tragic triple image, a performance of a performer performing the role of someone who isn't still messed up on heroin.
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