Waxahatchee performs at the 9:30 Club on Monday. (Photo by Jesse Riggins)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 15
At Rhizome, experimental composer Samuel Hertz will be joined by a pair of D.C. contemporaries: violinist-singer-songwriter Crue and Black Lodge, the electronic project of Paperhaus frontman Alex Tebeleff. Doors 8 p.m. $10 suggested donation.
It’s a showcase of D.C. rock’n’roll as Olivia Mancini & the Mates returns to the Black Cat backstage alongside Lisa Said (celebrating the release of her new Estranged EP) and self-described “rock-noir” trio Park Snakes. Doors 7:30 p.m. $10.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16
Last August, D.C. lost Shawn Lucas, a jack-of-all-trades enthusiast who was a fixture in the city’s nightlife community. On Wednesday, celebrate his life at a memorial show at Soundcheck, featuring EDM DJs The Banditz, Obscure Kittens, Basscamp, and Seba Yuri. Doors 10 p.m. $10 (all proceeds will be donated to the Environmental Defense Fund).
Brooklyn’s Pro Era collective celebrates the so-called “golden age” of hip-hop by recreating the music of the late ’80s and early ’90s with a modern sensibility. The crew’s best known member is Joey Bada$$, but Pro Era is legion: catch rapper-producer Kirk Knight and newcomer Nyck Caution at U Street Music Hall. Doors 7 p.m. $15-$20.
Mark Lanegan, the gravel-voiced singer-songwriter who came to prominence as the frontman of grunge pioneers Screaming Trees, continues his explorations of the depths of noirish rock on his tenth solo album, Gargoyle. He headlines at the Rock & Roll Hotel with fellow rockers Duke Garwood and Lyenn. Doors 7 p.m. $27.50-$30.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 17
Like Young Thug and Lil Yachty before him, Atlanta rap crooner SahBabii is less concerned with lyricism and more focused on mood. The 20-year-old contrasts sparkling, synth-heavy beats and buoyant melodies with nihilistic lyrics that are heavy on sex and violence. Catch him at U Street Music Hall. Doors 7 p.m. $15.
Stay after the SahBabii show or come late for a DJ night that utilizes U Hall’s legendary soundsystem: Tokyo’s Goth-Trad and Bristol duo Kahn & Neek push the limits of grime, dubstep, and all things bass. Doors 10:30 p.m. $10-$15.
Athens, Georgia indie rock acts Oak House and Easter Island team with D.C. shoegazers Collider at the Black Cat backstage. Doors 7:30 p.m. $10.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18
They’ve only been a band for a year, but Bacchae has quickly become a D.C. act to watch thanks to an inventive mix of post-punk, synth-rock, and riot grrrl energy. The Black Cat backstage hosts the band’s tape release and a “going away show” for D.C. rockers Ear. D.C. bedroom pop act Keeper opens. Doors 9 p.m. $10.
Preeminent D.C. party starter Mathias takes over the Fillmore Silver Spring for Pop That, a “2000 & Now Dance Party” that promises everything from Drake to Disclosure and Future to Fall Out Boy. Fellow D.C. DJs Basscamp, Nick Names, and The Borrowers will help keep the party going. Doors 8 p.m. $6-$12.
U Hall goes old school as dance music pioneer Jellybean Benitez, who produced hits for Madonna and Whitney Houston, is joined by D.C. dance floor staple Sam “The Man” Burns for a night of disco, house and everything in between. Doors 10 p.m. $10, free before 11 p.m. for 21+.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 19
Since forming in 2011, D.C. quartet Redline Graffiti has continuously found new ways to cross-pollinate R&B with indie rock, electronica, and more. The band will be joined at the Rock & Roll Hotel by fellow genre experimenters Jenna Camille and Crue. Doors 7 p.m. $12.
Four darkwave acts—Xeno & Oaklander, Technophobia, Void Vision, and Ships in the Night—unite at the Black Cat to raise money for House of Ruth, a non-profit that provides services for women and children who are victims of domestic abuse. Doors 9 p.m. $10.
For the past few years, Valentino Khan has been on the cutting edge of high-energy, bass-heavy EDM, releasing music on labels run by scene leaders Diplo, Skrillex, and Steve Aoki. Bring your dancing shoes (and probably earplugs) to 9:30 Club. Doors 9 p.m. $20.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 20
Silver Spring rap upstart Yaddiya throws his record release party at the Black Cat with local production duo Foots X Coles and D.C. rapper Obii Say. Doors 7:30 p.m. $10.
Former guitar prodigy Jonny Lang comes to the Birchmere in advance of the release of his first album in four years, Signs, with support by fellow guitarist-singer-songwriter Zane Carney. Doors 7:30 p.m. $69.50.
Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci has scored hits with “Everyday We Lit” and “Key to the Streets.” He headlines the Fillmore with D.C.’s own Q Da Fool. Doors 7 p.m. $35-$60.
MONDAY, AUGUST 21
As Waxahatchee, Katie Crutchfield recalls the evocative, emotionally charged heights of ’90s indie rock, without ever feeling like an homage to the past. Touring in support of her excellent fourth album, Out in the Storm, Crutchfield performs at the 9:30 Club with a pair of female-fronted bands, Boston’s Palehound and Baltimore’s Outer Spaces. Doors 7 p.m. $20.
Baltimore’s Joy on Fire describes their music as “punk-jazz fuzz-rock,” which is the best description of their particular type of fusion (one that features lead saxophone rather than lead vocals). The trio will be joined by instrumental math rocker California Accent and The Lost Civilizations, experimental music project, at the Dew Drop Inn. Doors 8 p.m. Donations welcome.
