The Scene

MusicDetour.com’s commentary on music, performances, and the DC metro area music scene

Northern Virginia’s largest community-wide event, the 29^th annual Celebrate Fairfax! Festival, is set to take place June 11-13, 2010 on the grounds of the Fairfax County Government Center.  The Celebrate Fairfax! Festival features 25 acres of amazing concerts, family programs, science and technology, history, thrilling carnival rides and nightly fireworks!  Among the festival’s highlights are the more than 90 concerts and performances on six stages, with an exceptional line-up of national, regional and local artists. Included are four fantastic headlining performances:

2010 Headline Entertainment Schedule for the Bud Light Main Stage: (more…)

If you can’t make it to Mardi Gras and you live in the DC area, don’t worry, head to Fat Tuesday’s in Fairfax, VA. In DC, there is no better place to celebrate Fat Tuesday than Fat Tuesday’s. Located across the street from George Mason University, it’s sure to have its fair-share of wannabe Mardi Gras revelers. While there’s no replacement for New Orleans in mid-February, Fat Tuesday’s will have ten bands playing all day (starting at 3pm!) including:  (more…)

Poor Man’s Lobster (Photo: Courtesy Mike DiBella)

Don’t miss Poor Man’s Lobster’s Cd Release Party this Saturday February 13th at Fat Tuesday’s in Fairfax, VA. The Fairfax-based quintet has been jamming together for three years and has finally put together an album that’s sure to be funky. Poor Man’s Lobster is one of the few original bands in the northern Virginia area worth checking-out. I’ve jammed to their music several times at Fat Tuesday’s and have never been disappointed. Hopefully if they know how to push the album right, they can expand their territory – it would be a good thing for the DC area and Mid-Atlantic region to get more funky jam bands playing at the bars. It’s only $5 to get-in so don’t miss this show.

There are two festivals this weekend in the DC Area: Celebrate Fairfax and Capital Jazz Festival. Now, I’m not sure why Fairfax is worth celebrating, but this festival ends up being a good time every year. This year not only is the most populous county in VA bringing Blues Traveler to town, but their also bring in Tone Loc, Naughty by Nature and Sugar Hill Gang for some old school hip-hop jams. Across the river in MD, the Capital Jazz Festival should be good fun for all even if you aren’t a big jazz fan. Also, don’t forget about the Louisiana Swamp Romp on Sunday at Wolf Trap.

Fairfax County puts on a huge festival every year at the Fairfax Government Center that it has called “Celebrate Fairfax“. Now, to me, that is an incredibly strange name, what are we celebrating about Fairfax? Anyway, it used to be called the Fairfax Fair before they tried to get all original with its name. Name aside, it is one of the best chances to catch local and national acts outside at one event in northern Virginia. This year it is Friday, June 5th – Sunday June, 7th and will be headlined by Blues Traveler (Friday, June 5th – 8pm), The Fixx (Saturday, June 6th – 3pm), The Sugarhill Gang, Tone Loc and Naughty by Nature (Saturday, June 6th – 7:30pm)and Phil Vassar (Sunday, June 7th – 3:30pm). Get your tickets now. Checkout after the jump for the complete line-up. (more…)

One of the bands I seem to always be talking about on here needs your help. Redshift is a great up and coming rock band and right now they are trying to win a competition that On Tap Magazine is hosting for bands to play Celebrate Fairfax on the Bud Light Stage opening up for Blues Traveler. Help out our very own Redshift from Fairfax get the spot. All you have to do is sign up for an account and vote here. Its a quick and painless process and you will be supporting a very hard working local band. By the way, if you haven’t seen Redshift lately, they have a new guitarist and are rocking harder than before.

Its been a while, but that doesn’t mean that we’ve been missing music. We have had some serious server problems and now we’re good to go (by the way, FIOS fast connection . . . interesting server restrictions). Too many shows have gone by without any input.

This Saturday,November 22nd, Redshift is playing at Firehouse Grill in Fairfax. They’re playing as a power trio now and are ready to rock even harder. Also playing, Kamura, Madrone, and Iris Divine. Shows starts at 9pm.

Also this Saturday, the Speaks are playing at PJ Skidoos in Fairfax.

This is looking like its going to be a music packed weekend. It starts off big on Friday with three local music shows. First, Redshift will be playing at the 9:30 Club for the first time with The War Within and Rome in a Day. Doors open at 6:00pm for that show. These are three up-and-coming local bands that you’ll want to catch before they are touring nationally.

Second, Future is playing at the State Theatre in Falls Church with Poor Man�s Lobster and Panacea at 8:00pm. I saw Future play with Poor Man’s Lobster at T.T. Reynold’s and it was one of the best local performances I have seen in a long time. Be sure to check these guys out.

Third, a local favorite, The Speaks, is playing at The Auld Shebeen with JunkFood and Klepto Radio starting at 8:00pm. It should be a good show and proves that music still exists in the City of Fairfax.

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So the Big O and Dukes Show was ranting about the closing of T.T. Reynold’s on Thursday. Check out the audio from that show. They weren’t really sure when T.T.’s is closing, which is actually Sunday, July 27th, but I have to say that I like their rant against soccer moms. People need places to drink and watch music. That’s the bottom line. I was there on Thursday night and T.T.’s was absolutely packed with people of all ages. T.T. Reynold’s has been part of the History of the City of Fairfax and the City won’t even tear down the building because of its historical building. Word on the street is that its becoming a Vietnamese restaurant and while some people love Vietnamese food, it is probably not necessary to have 2 in the small City of Fairfax (with two more right outside the city). (more…)

Its only the middle of July and so far Wolf Trap has been keeping the lock down on performances by classic R&B artists. Tonight, Tuesday, July 15th, soul legend Al Green will be performing at Wolf Trap to keep the summer line-up hot. Known as one of the most successful crossover artists, Green has topped the charts with both soul albums and gospel albums. Now he’s touring to promote his newest album, Lay it Down. The show starts at 8pm.

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