The Scene

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

After first getting started with Folk music and Jazz music, Festivals have long been the domain of Jam Bands. However, over the past few years there’s been an increasing tendency towards hip-hop festivals. Rock the Bells started back in 2004 as a one time – one place festival, but has expanded over the past five years to a touring festival that will land in 10 cities across the US and Canada this summer. It’s coming to the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD on Sunday, July 12th. The shows kick-off at Noon. It’s the second consecutive year that the show will hit Merriweather. This year’s festival is going to have about 30 acts on 2 stages. Tickets go on sale May 2nd at 10am. Full list of artists after the jump. (more…)

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…)

As I’ve mentioned before, Wolf Trap’s Filene Center is one of the best venues to catch a show (partly because of its BYOB policy). Every year in addition to the great line-up of shows, there is a Louisiana Swamp Romp to celebrate cajun music/zydeco on a beautiful summer afternoon. In its 20th year, the Swamp Romp looks like it will be going better than ever.  This year it will be on Sunday, June 7th at 2pm in the afternoon. Tickets are general admission, so get your favorite New Orleans beverage and head to Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA. Check out the line-up after the jump. (more…)

One of the big events each year in Tidewater Virginia is the Hampton Jazz Festival at the Hampton Coliseum. However the big irony about the Hampton Jazz Fest is that it has very little jazz today. I went several years ago and saw The Average White Band, Chaka Khan and George Benson. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of all of three of those acts, but George Benson is the only act that you could remotely call Jazz. This year is no different . . . each night the major acts playing are not jazz. It looks like it’s going to be a great festival, I just think that they need to change the name to the Hampton R&B Festival or the Hampton Soul Festival or something. Anyway, this year’s festival is June 26-28. Click here for tickets. Check out after the jump for the full line-up. (more…)

We don’t spend much time talking about Bluegrass on this blog, but there’s always some great roots music going on somewhere. This Memorial Day Weekend you may want to travel to western Maryland to catch some of the best bluegrass musicians in the country at DelFest. It should be a good way to kick off summer. Pack up your camping gear, some instruments (if you have them) and head to Cumberland, MD May 22-24. DelFest hasn’t announced who is playing when as of yet, but check out who is playing after the jump. (more…)

Wolf Trap has a great season of shows going on this summer and a handful of mini festivals. Sunday, June 14th is The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show at 8pm in the File center at Wolf Trap. Tickets are $22 in the Lawn and $40 in-house. (more…)

If you were going to recreate woodstock at an amphitheater, the best place to do it would be at Wolf Trap’s Filene Center. Sure it might not be the best place to completely relive the ’60s, but at least you can bring your own booze. Anyway, get your tickets for Tuesday, August 11th, 2009. (more…)

It can be difficult to find local music that you like to jam to because of so many choices at so many venues on any given night. Since no can be everywhere (and even I can be realistic that people don’t like to catch music every night of the week), it’s helpful to have a whole bunch of acts in one place. I’ve mentioned Locals Only Radio before to advertise their promotional shows at T.T. Reynold’s every Thursday, but this is bigger. This weekend, Saturday, June 21^st and Sunday June 22^nd, Locals Only Radio will be holding its third annual Throwdown Local Music Festival at The Auld Shebeen and T.T Reynold’s. (more…)

This is a festival packed weekend! Get your tickets for the 2008 Capital Jazz Fest at the Merriweather Post Pavillion. The festival is Friday-Sunday. While I think calling it a “jazz fest” is a stretch, there are some really good acts playing there this weekend. For some reason, over the past decade and a half, venues have shifted the meaning of “jazz fest” to mean commercially oriented music geared towards an older-adult crowd (think beyond “Adult Contemporary”). Most of these acts are smooth-jazz and R&B artists, many of whom are phenomenal, but many tend towards commercial cliché. The times and acts are listed below.

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There are a lot of county fairs across the United States, but it is doubtful that any of them have the history or the following of Celebrate Fairfax (aka. The Fairfax Fair). The Fair gets heated up Friday, June 6^th and lasts until Sunday, June 8^th. With six stages going over three days, you are sure to find some music that you like and some music that you can’t stand, but regardless there will be a ton of music to be heard. See below for the schedule.

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