TUESDAY, MAY 7
As Field Medic, Kevin Sullivan makes expressive, exploratory acoustic music. He’s joined by Another Michael and Luray at Songbyrd. 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show. $12 advance, $15 day of show. All ages, inaccessible space.
Theo Hilton’s longrunning Athens, Ga., band Nana Grizol performs at Comet Ping Pong with Seattle’s Your Heart Breaks. Durham’s Loamlands and D.C.’s own Ducts also perform. 9 p.m. show, $12. All ages, accessible venue.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
As Pedro the Lion and over the course of his output under his own name, David Bazan has examined both humanity and his own history. Producer and songwriter John Vanderslice opens at Rock & Roll Hotel. 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show. $25. All ages, accessible venue.
Once one-half of the Civil Wars with Joy Williams, John Paul White released his latest solo album, The Hurting Kind, last month. Erin Rae opens at Union Stage. $22 advance, $25 day of show. All ages, accessible venue.
THURSDAY, MAY 9
On his Devinyl Splits singles series, Kevine Devine joins forces with another musician on a record (Devine on one side, his guest on the other) of originals and covers. The Weakerthans’ John K. Samson, a series participant, shares the bill at Milkboy Arthouse. 8 p.m. doors, 8:30 p.m. show. $22 advance, $27 day of show. All ages, accessible venue.
FRIDAY, MAY 10
Ex Hex, the trio of Mary Timony, Betsy Wright and Laura Harris, released It’s Real, the group’s second album of raging guitar rock earlier this year. The Messthetics—that’s Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally, plus guitarist Anthony Pirog—open at 9:30 Club. 8 p.m. doors. $25. All ages, accessible venue.
As Diane Coffee, former Disney child actor and Foxygen drummer Shaun Fleming makes theatric, dramatic music that explores genre, defying categorization. See a set featuring songs from his recent album Internet Arms at DC9. 7 p.m. doors, 7:30 p.m. show. $15. All ages, inaccessible space.
Stephanie Knipe may have started Adult Mom as a solo project, but on her second EP Soft Spots, her bedroom sound expanded thanks to collaboration with musician friends. Emma Witner’s gobbinjr and Lily Mastrodimos’ Long Neck open at Songbyrd. 7 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show. $13 advance, $15 day of show. All ages, inaccessible space.
In 2017, The Dream Syndicate released its first new album since breaking up nearly 30 years ago. Part of the the Paisley Underground movement, the group recently released a compilation with fellow bands of that psychedelic period. U Street Music Hall. 7 p.m. $20. All ages, accessible venue.
SATURDAY, MAY 11
Now in its 24th year, the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival, hosted by NEA Jazz Master Dee Dee Bridgewater, celebrates the pianist and composer with two nights of programming at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. Friday’s show is a tribute to pianist and composer Geri Allen featuring saxophonist Ravi Coltrane and tap dance from Maurice Chestnut; Saturday includes the Joanne Brackeen Quartet and the Renee Rosnes Quartet. 7 p.m. $40-$45. All ages, accessible venue.
SUNDAY, MAY 12
Grammy-winning heavy metal band Judas Priest was nominated to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the 2018 class. Despite a cancelled European tour with Ozzy Osbourne, the British vets are slated to perform at the The Anthem with Uriah Heep. 6:30 p.m. doors, 8 p.m. show. $75-$125. All ages, accessible venue.
MONDAY, MAY 13
Common brings Let Love…An Expression of Art, Words, & Song, his concert and conversation tour in support of his memoir, Let Love Have the Last Word, to the Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater. $45-$75. 8 p.m. All ages, accessible venue.
