July 3 Midtown Liberty in DC

This weekend starts the unofficial beginning of summer, and the heatwave has everyone making summer plans. To celebrate this year's Forth of July, Lindy is throwing a Midtwon Liberty bar tour in DC. The event is Wednesday July 3 and registration is from 5 to 10pm at Mackey's or The Front Page. The bar tour continues until midnight includes over 15 DC bars featuring $2 Coors Lights, $3 Blue Moons, and great food & shot specials. You can use my promo code CNights for 20% off your ticket which is normally $10. 

Red Cross Tornado concert tonight at Iota

Iota is throwing a benefit concert for the American Red Cross Tornado Relief tonight, Thursday May 30, starting at 8pm. Music will be provided by Mark Charles (of Vandaveer), Jackson (of The WeatherVanes), Bethany and the Guitar, Alex The Red Robert Parez, and David Kitchen. Instead of a cover charger, there is a minimum $10 donation with proceeds going to the Red Cross.

Mad Rose Fast and Furious 6 release party

If you spot some flashy or loud cars around town tonight, you can follow them to Mad Rose's movie release party starting at 8pm. The Clarendon bar is hosting a Fast & Furious 6 movie release party tonight, Thursday May 30. The party includes music by multiple DJs like EPX, RI5E and Chazzta, food specials, and "hot cars" provided by Mischief.TV. Champagne and hookah will also be available on their outdoor patios.

"Tune In, Write Now" at Iota tonight

Tune In, Write Now is a new kind of showcase presented by Arlington local musicians Derek Evry and Molly Hagen. They will be interviewing working musicians and songwriters for insight into the mind and the life of the musician, with the purpose of inspiring upcoming musicians and sharing in the artists work. Tonight will feature a live roundtable with the great talents of local Andy Zipf and Laura Tsaggaris. The $10 show starts at 8pm at Iota.

Memorial Day weekend lineup at RiRa

Judging by Twitter, most people I know have fled DC this three day weekend for Dewey beach or another warm spot. If you have stayed in town for Memorial Day, RiRa is hosting an entire weekend of live music.

Starting tonight, Friday May 24 the always entertaining Kleptoradio plays at 10pm, and they cover all genres, from yesterday's and today's country, rap and rock.

Saturday night the Irish rock group the Blaggards comes to RiRa. Massive in the Celtic Rock scene, this high energy band have toured across the US and Europe. Two of their songs from their album Standards will appear on the CBS series The Good Wife this Sunday, March 24, 9pm.

They round off their weekend nights on Sunday night with DJ Dave Thong spinning until cl



White Ford Bronco at Clarendon Grill

The band that could possibly be DC's best cover band White Ford Bronco is playing at Clarendon Grill tonight, Thursday May 23. The all-90s cover music the five member band plays is guaranteed to get your energy up and make you dance. I last saw them play at Truckeroo last year and thought they were the best band that day.

Making-Models Fashion and Beauty Seminar Thursday

This Thursday May 23, Making-Models is hosting a Fashion and Beauty Seminar in Clarendon. Hosted by Link Locale, the seminar starts at 6pm. They will feature a guest appearance by Angela Rose, founder of PAVA, the Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment non profit organization that provides a voice for those silenced by sexual violence.  They try to provide help through the arts, advocacy, prevention education, and legislative action.

9 Songwriter Series back at Iota Tues

The always amazing Nine Songwriter Series is doing its monthly show at Iota this Tuesday, May 21. Nine different musicians each play 3 songs throughout the night, for only a single $10 cover charge. Tuesday's lineup includes (but not in this order):

Justin Trawick

 Gina Sobel 

 Mike Sanzo 

 Jasmine Gillison

 Tobias Russell 

 Tom Maxwell 

 David Tewksbury  

 Heather Lloyd 

 Jeff Ting

Step Pets and Maple at Galaxy Hut

Tonight, Sunday May 19 wind down this busy weekend with two bands at Galaxy Hut. Starting at 9pm the Arlington native band Maple starts playing, followed by Step Pets at 10pm. Step Pets features members of The Influence and Counterfeit Molly. Cover is $5 for both performances.

Events this weekend - Taste of Arlington, Truckeroo and cover bands

With the expected amazing weather this weekend, there are plenty of events to enjoy in Arlington and DC. Here is a short list of my recommendations:

Friday May 17
11am - 11pm Truckeroo in DC
A free monthly festival held April thru October at the corner of Half St.and M St., SE showcasing tons of food trucks and live music
10pm The Nameless Few at RiRa
Covers of the best from the 70’s, 80's, 90's and today - $5 cover for me, ladies are free 

Saturday May 18
8pm - 2am Rooftop of Clarendon Ballroom
Only the rooftop of Ballroom is open Sat night, with no cover charge
8:30pm - 12am Juniper Lane at Iota
A great local band playing original music, lead vocals by Vivion Smith will amaze you. A perfect alternative to the many cover bands playing other places - $12 cover
9:30pm - 12am Flow in the Dark at Whitlows
A fun and entertaining cover band that works in talk boxes, v-drums, looping station and four talented singers - $5 cover



Sunday May 19
12pm - 5pm Taste of Arlington in Ballston
This annual outdoor event is sure to draw a large crowd. It is family friendly and features a huge selection of local restaurants offering samples of their menu for one "tasting" ticket each. For $30 you get 10 tasting tickets. Live music includes Down Wilson, The Reflex, Junkfood and Silent Critics

Rosslyn outdoor film festival starts tonight

Tonight, Friday May 17 is the first night in the series of outdoor film showings in Rosslyn's Gateway park. This summer all the movies have a school related theme, with the 80s classic The Breakfast Club kicking things off at around 8pm. Bring a blanket, folding chairs, or snacks to these free movie showings on the grass between Lee Highway. Here is the full summer movie schedule:

May 17 - The Breakfast Club (R) 1985
May 24 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off (PG-13) 1986
May 31 – Clueless (PG-13) 1995
June 7 - Risky Business (R) 1983
June 14 - Can't Buy Me Love (PG-13) 1987
June 21 - Easy A (PG-13) 2010
June 27 - 10 Things I Hate About You (PG-13) 1999
July 5 - Bring It On (PG-13) 2000
July 12 - Pretty in Pink (PG-13) 1986
July 19 - She's All That (PG-13) 1999
July 26 – Fame (R) 1980
August 2 - Can't Hardly Wait (PG-13) 1998
August 9 - Sixteen Candles (PG) 1984
August 16 - High School Musical 3: Senior Year (G) 2006
August 23 - American Graffiti (PG) 1973
August 30 – Grease (PG-13) 1978

Tonight in Clarendon

On this Thursday, May 16th in Clarendon you get your choice of a wide variety of live music, from dance to country to indie. Here is the break down:

5:30 - Local musician Derek Evry is playing at Whole Foods, which if you remember now has a bar upstairs.

8:00 - Wilson Tavern is throwing a "Daisy Dukes and Cowboy Boots" party tonight featuring country music, encouraging patrons to wear cowboy attire and short shorts.

8:30 - Live music starts at Iota with Emily Wells taking the stage. Brooklyn-based electroacoustic duo Live Footage also plays tonight. Cover is $13.

9:00 - Round out the night with a CD release party with DJ Saam and King C Lo at Mad Rose Tavern. If the weather holds out, there will be champagne and hooka available on their patio.

Juniper Lane at Iota this Saturday

The always awesome Juniper Lane is playing again in Clarendon this Saturday, May 18. The 9pm show takes place at Iota, which has hosted the 5 piece talented band many times before. The $12 cover also includes other local acts Ditched By Kate, a DC based alternative rock band, and Zero Mercury, an Arlington based progressive space rock power trio. Ditched by Kate will also be celebrating their CD release that night of their new album Nostalgia.

Onward Chariots at Jammin Java Sunday

For this Mother's Day, check out Onward Chariots playing in Virginia this Sunday, May 12 at 1pm. They played at Galaxy Hut in Clarendon back in February, and now they are taking the stage at Jammin Java.  There might not be any mothers in attendance - but "Mama", a song from Onward Chariots' new album, This is My Confession, which has been streamed several thousand times online since its January release. Singer-songwriter Ben Morss has played with bands like Cake and Wheatus. His poppy punk band, The Pilgrims, charted on college radio

stations across the U.S.

Martin Bisi at Galaxy Hut tonight

 
Tonight, May 6 at 9pm the entertaining Martin Bisi will be playing in Clarendon at Galaxy Hut. The band led by Bisi is a mixture of avant garde, indie rock, noire, and cabraret styles that swings between heavier beats and more eccentric tunes. Bisi has a history of producing music as well, as he opened a recording studio and worked with Sonic Youth, Swans, Dresden Dolls and more. Check out his song "Drink Your Wine" here. Bisi's upcoming release is titled Ex Nihilo and will be out later this year. Cover charge is only $5, and Chester Hawkins will also be playing.

Clarendon Cinco de Mayo block party

The weather today was an absolutely perfect day for Clarendon's Cinco de Mayo block party. Party goers who either bought tickets online or paid a little more at the door got to start out at Mad Rose, which had its patio and its neighor Sobe's outdoor seating packed. Music was pumped outside at each of the participating bars in this block party, but it wasn't loud enough to disturb anyone. There was outdoor grilling and alcohol, as well as some classic or hot cars that showed up. Pictured here was Darna's parking lot transformed into a packed outdoor party, with four large balloons marking the party from a distance.

Honor By August, MELODIME at 9:30 Club May 24

Several great local bands are playing a show together at DC's famous venue the 9:30 Club. On Friday May 24 Honor By August headlines the night with their new album Monuments to Progress release show. I've seen this DC native band play before at the Clarendon stage at Iota and they are full of energy and contemporary rock when playing live. Their latest album was also recorded close by at Cue Recording in Falls Church.

Joining them will be MELODIME, a popular local rock band from Northern Virginia. I got the chance to see their lead vocals and guitar player Bradley Rhodes when he performed at the April 15 Nine Songwriter Series and am really looking forward to seeing Bradely and his band again.

Jesse Ruben also plays on Friday. I haven't seen the young Brooklyn based acoustic pop/rock musician play before, but I've heard good things and can't wait to see him live.

The show starts at 8pm, and you can get the $15 tickets here on Ticketfly.