The economy may be in a slump, but for music lovers that just means bands are touring more, usually in support of new or upcoming albums.
Even though extensive tours and major music festivals are everywhere, music lovers know the smaller clubs are also hopping, often thanks to impromptu “drop in” concerts, which in the Washington metropolitan area might mean someone as well known as alt-rocker Beck drops in to play a few tunes and break the tedium of travel.
“If they like the club, sometimes they’ll just go there and play,” said Eliot Wads-worth, former publicist with Nasty Little Man in New York who represents many nationally known artists, including Beck.
But no matter what venue you prefer, the D.C. concert season is heating up. Consider some of this weekend’s hot acts below and then check out our partial list of summer music concerts.
17th Annual Capital JazzFest Ten-time Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole and EnVogue lead the all-star lineup of the three-day Annual Festival JazzFest on two stages.
The Pavilion Stage — on which Cole will perform — will also host George Duke, Al Jarreau, Marcus Miller & Friends, and many other artists.
Meanwhile on The Soul Stage at Symphony Woods (aka “The Party Stage”), R&B lovers will watch Khan, the 20th anniversary reunion of all four original members of En Vogue (Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones and the returning Dawn Robinson) and many others.
Details: $49.50 and up; From Friday through Wednesday; check Web site for lineup and times (capitaljazz.com/2009/); Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Md.; ticketmaster.com.
Blind Pilot Many music insiders predict this indie folk/rock/pop duo will be the next breakout band from Portland, Ore.
The band started when friends Israel Nebeker and band co-founder/drummer Ryan Dobrowski began to make music as something of a musical art project bicycling around the West Coast — scaled-back drums and guitars on board — and playing their songs at various clubs.
But the band really made strides when friend Kati Claborn — now a member of the live band — joined it for a song on the album.
“That was the Eureka moment for me,” Nebeker said. “She has a great voice and plays banjo É and that changed the songs drastically to a way that I liked a lot. We made the decision then, no more bike tour. We decided to stay and work on a record and make it the best we could.”
Thus, “3 Rounds and a Sound” was born, grabbing listeners’ attention with its smooth melodies and lilting lyrics born of Nebeker’s personal experiences. Although the music has expanded and this tour boasts a five-piece band, the songs remain the personal insights and visions of Nebeker.
” ‘Poor Boy came to me in a dream. I had been watching a movie and É woke myself up and remembered the first verse,” Nebeker said. “Much more often just a little piece of an idea [of a song] comes and then I have to connect the dots.”
Details: $13; 8 p.m. Sunday; The Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW; 202-667-4490; tick etmaster.com. For more about Blind Pilot, visit blindpilotmusic.wordpress.com.
Citizen Cope Clarence Greenwood, better known in the music world as Citizen Cope, has a fan base that includes such musicians as Carlos Santana and Lisa Marie Presley.
But for Cope, who honed his musical skills when he moved to Washington, D.C., as a young adult and became involved in the local music scene, music is all about telling his personal stories.
“I make my own sound from what I feel,” Cope said. “I have fans who respond to that sound for whatever reason. If I lose that feeling, I’ll stop.”
It’s said that Cope takes musical snapshots of the world around him and turns them into universal truths. He sets them to the simplest of melodies, and weds those in turn to the most soul-stirring grooves.
You’ll hear plenty of reference to the area in Cope’s songs. Consider the song about “George” from Cope’s self-titled album, the two-bit hustler from Baltimore in “200,000 (In Counterfeit $50 Bills)?” who “spends all his dough on the horses at the Pimlico.” Or the woman who vanishes on the streets of D.C. in “Southern Avenue,” where “you don’t have to go overseas to find war, because war finds you.”
Details: $35; 8 p.m. Sunday; Rams Head Live, 20 Market Place, Baltimore; 410-244-8856; ramsheadlive.com. For
more about Citizen Cope, visit citizencope.com
