Get your musical weekend started Friday night with 14-time Wammie Award winning 12-piece Afrofunk orchestra, Chopteeth.
Chopteeth mines a groove of hip-shakin’ West African grooves, modern jazz improvisations, and James Brown rhythms inspired by the Afrobeat of the late Nigerian activist/musician Fela Kuti. Listen for lyrics delivered in seven different languages as you dance in front of the stage in the art deco Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club at 8 p.m. Billboard magazine describes the Chopteeth sound as: “Thunderous and potent. …from upbeat Swahili lyrics over a South African pulse one second, to spaghetti Western-inspired instrumentals the next. True to the political essence at the heart of Fela’s music.” Included with a pair of admissions is a free download card featuring Chopteeth’s debut CD.
On Saturday at Rams Head On Stage at 8 p.m. witness two of the finest American rock guitarists from the Americana field of rock, blues and country. Dave Alvin blazed a post-punk trail with his brother Phil in The Blasters, and Bill Kirchen was an original member of Commander Cody’s Lost Planet Airmen.
In recent tour publicity, Dave Alvin describes the sound of The Blasters as “a big messy melting pot, just like California” (his home state). Alvin is a blistering hot electric guitarist, conjuring up great western glare through eyeball rubbing ballads and rash rants from rowdy characters. His songs have been covered by compadres Joe Ely, Los Lobos, Alejandro Escovedo and Buckwheat Zydeco.
Honky tonkin’ Bill Kirchen will always be looked to for the show-stopping long ride in his “Hot Rod Lincoln,” a tribute to our great American guitar slingin’ heroes. Kirchen has worked over an illustrious 40-year career to create a whole slew of scintillating solo albums. He’s also teamed with some great singers and interpreters of song, including Emmylou Harris, the late Doug Sahm, Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Bill Kirchen is a charter member of Guitar Player Magazine’s “Titans of the Telecaster” club.
Acoustic guitar finger-picking specialist Willy Porter comes to the Avalon Theatre in Easton 8 p.m. this Saturday night, along with “The Acoustic Ninja” Trace Bundy from Boulder, Colorado. Bundy’s talent is described on his website as “poetry in motion, using harmonics, looping, multiple capos, and his unique banter and stage presence to deliver an unforgettable live concert experience.”
Willy Porter writes the most beautiful songs, accentuated with his clever, colorful and uplifting licks and lyrics. Double your acoustic pleasure this Saturday night in Easton.
This Saturday is also the 5th annual Charm City Bluegrass Festival in Druid Hill Park, Baltimore. A sampling of performers includes the Lonesome River Band, Chris Jacobs, The Lone Bellow, Seldom Scene, members of Yonder Mountain and Leftover Salmon, High & Wides, and Cabinet. Mark Delaney, Danny Paisley, Tom Gray and other stellar bluegrass musicians offer vocal and various bluegrass instrument workshops throughout the day at the festival. The Charm City Bluegrass festival runs all day Saturday from 10 a.m. until about 10 p.m. Parking is available on site.
Also this week, Steve Winwood plays the Warner Theatre in Washington at 8 p.m. on Monday night. You know him and love him going back to his teen years with the Spencer Davis Group (“Gimme Some Lovin’), to Traffic (“Feeling Alright,” “Dear Mr. Fantasy,” “Low Spark of High Healed Boys” and “John Barleycorn”). Winwood’s solo recordings are a continuation of the jazzy and world searching rock of Traffic, and his subsequent supergroup, Blind Faith with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Ric Grech (“Can’t Find My Way Home,” “Sea of Joy” and “Presence of the Lord”). Daughter Lilly Winwood opens the show. Check out her version of dad’s tune “Higher Love”. (https://www.lillywinwood.org/).
Sidemen abound this week as Jethro Tull founding guitarist Martin Barre performs with his solo band at 8 p.m. Monday night at Rams Head On Stage, and Timothy B. Schmit, bass player from The Eagles plays Rams Head at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
Signature riffs from Martin Barre are featured throughout Jethro Tull albums like Benefit, This Was, Aqualung and Living in the Past. Barre won a Grammy Award for his work on Crest of a Knave (1988). His veteran band of English rockers promises to perform an evening of Jethro Tull classics, including some deeper, rarely performed tunes. Timothy B. Schmit comes to perform songs from his solo work. His latest solo release is titled Leap of Faith. Schmit has for years been a go-to bass player and singer. He worked in Poco and with the Eagles. Timothy B. Schmit also collaborated with Bob Seger (“Fire Lake”), Crosby, Still and Nash (“Wasted on the Way”), on many tracks with Steely Dan, and with both Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and Ringo Starr’s All Star Band.
Thursday, May 4 highlights include a duo show at 8 p.m. in the Stoltz Listening Room at the Avalon Theatre in Easton from John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers and multi-instrumentalist Wendy Sassafras Ramsay, plus an 8 p.m. show from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame musician and songwriter Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington on his final Pet Sounds Tour.
In addition to performing and writing songs, Jeffrey Pepper Rogers is founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine.
Brian Wilson is rock royalty and not to be missed. Fellow Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin (Rolling Stones) also appear with Wilson.
Final Note: If you’ve been watching the Sun Records! Television series on Country Music Television (CMT) you know that legendary producer Sam Phillips, who first recorded Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Louis and Carl Perkins in the studio known as the “Birthplace of Rock and Roll”, used to charge just $3.25 for anyone to record a double-sided 45 rpm single. I just learned of a new restaurant, music hall and record store in Washington, DC where you can walk in and record a song and walk out with a single-sided 45 rpm record for just $15!
The vintage ‘Voice O-Graph’ recording booth is lovingly restored to full working condition at the Songbyrd Music House. It takes about seven minutes to record a 3-minute piece of music, spoken word or comedy track direct to 45 RPM vinyl. The Songbyrd Music House is located at 2477 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC. No appointment necessary; first come, first served. Hours are from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. You can bring an instrument or use the acoustic guitar that is there. Maybe you’ll be the next Elvis Presley! And, mark your calendar for Samantha Crain who plays a concert 8 p.m. May 18 at The Songbyrd Music House.
Michael Buckley is the writer, producer and host of “The Sunday Brunch” 7 to 10 a.m. each week on 103.1 WRNR-FM. Contact him at voicesofthebay@aol.com.
