Thursday, June 14
Despite being neither Brazilian nor, for the most part, girls, New York’s
Brazilian Girls play a blend of reggae and
electronica that at times can get kind of punky like Le Tigre. Hear them
at 9:30 tonight.
7 PM at 9:30 Club, $25.
We have
Neil Diamond to thank for “Sweet Caroline,”
constantly heard reinterpreted at baseball games and karaoke bars the
world ’round. He’s also,
you know, one of the best songwriters of all time, but I’ll
never forgive him for putting that song on this
earth.
8 PM at Verizon Center, $66 to $135.
Friday, June 15
Speaking of legends, it’s a huge weekend for old people. After whoa-oh-ohing yourself to death last night at Neil Diamond,
put yourself back out there for
Brian Wilson and company by catching the
Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour at
Merriweather. America’s answer to the Beatles have been playing close to
50 songs spanning their
whole catalogue at each stop. Don’t worry; you’ll get to hear
“Kokomo.”
6:30 PM at Merriweather, $45 to $125.
You could also see
Vince Gill at Birchmere if “Good Vibrations”
is a little too rocky for you. With 27 Grammys to his name, the country
star has more than
any other male country artist. He’s known for down-on-his-luck
songs like “One More Last Chance” and “Tryin’ to Get Over
You.”
7:30 PM at Birchmere, $100.
Finally we come to someone who has made relevant music within the past ten years. Not many bands can call themselves gypsy
punks, and outside of Gogol Bordello,
Balkan Beat Box are one of the only groups to
have any success. It sounds like you might expect—take some Eastern
European instruments and
rhythms, speed them up a bit, and give yourself an attitude,
and you’ve pretty much nailed
it.
8 PM at 9:30 Club, $22.
Saturday, June 16
More old people:
Little Richard is pushing 80, but when you get a chance to see one of the first rock-and-roll artists and the man who did “Good Golly, Miss
Molly” and “Tutti Frutti,” you take it.
6 PM at the Howard, $75.
It’s crazy to think Def Jam Records has been around for 25 years already. Celebrate at the Lincoln Theatre with discussions
with
Cey Adams and
Bill Adler, who helped found the company, plus performances by DC rapper
Tabi Bonney,
Asheru, and
EPMD.
8 PM at Lincoln Theatre, $44.50.
Even if, like me, you’re not down with DMB, it’s tough to deny that their all-but-annual tour stops are the highlight of summer
for many.
Dave Matthews Band didn’t come through last
year, so all the backward-hat-wearing bros should be especially ready
for this one.
7 PM at Jiffy Lube Live, $53 to $90.
Sunday, June 17
Things slow down Sunday, but if you’ve still got energy, you could do worse than the
Black Belles, an all-girl goth-rock band with lots of attitude. They got discovered by
Jack White—maybe because they’ve got a lot of his bluesy riffs—and they recently performed on the
Colbert Report.
8 PM at Montserrat House, $10 (only available at the door).
Monday, June 18
Two good hip-hop shows for you today—first we’ve got Kanye collaborator
Santigold, who’s got crazy swag and a hip-hop style but makes music that’s poppy and danceable. Up-and-comer
Theophilus London, who has already headlined 9:30, opens.
7 PM at 9:30 Club, sold out.
It’s a shame
Tech N9ne’s most popular song is the interlude on Lil Wayne’s
Tha Carter IV, but at least it gave him a chance to show off his rapping chops—people who have been paying attention know he’s been one
of the best in the game for years.
7 PM at Fur, $35.
Tuesday, June 19
Sweden’s badass, uniform-wearing
the Hives put on a great live show, tearing through blistering, jarring garage rock. They just put out
Lex Hives, their first album since 2007’s
Black and White Album, and it’s good to see that after all these years, they haven’t slowed down much since “Walk Idiot Walk” and “Hate to Say
I Told You So” put them in the mainstream.
7 PM at 9:30 Club, $32.50.
Wednesday, June 20
Say what you want, but even with
Adam Duritz’s ridiculous hair, you could do worse on a Wednesday night than seeing the
Counting Crows. They recently released
Underwater Shine, their first album in four years.
Unfortunately, it’s a cover album, and it’s not very good, leaving fans
itching for new
tunes—or, more likely, nostalgic for “Mr. Jones,” “Colorblind,”
and “Accidentally in
Love.”
7 PM at Wolf Trap, $30 to $48.
She played DC9 back in February, but she’s fresh off a stop at Bonnaroo, so it’s fair to expect more from
K.Flay, a punky female rapper who is way
better than recent fads like Kreayshawn and Lady
Sovereign.
7 PM at U Street Music Hall, $12.
