At this point, are you of the 'School can't begin soon enough for me!' or the 'School is starting again?? I need more time....!!' mindset ? My kids are looking forward to it. Too much togetherness perhaps? (I am choosing not to take offense). I also am starting a new job in a wonderful elementary school not far from my house, and am excited to dive in! Using all the yummy new pens, pencils, notebooks and coveted SHARPIES only teachers get to use?! This will never get old for me!
As August crept in, I found that I was needing to really take advantage of the carefree, lazy days and accomplish some stuff. And by accomplish, I mean hearing and seeing great live music, and getting to visit my daughters in their respective cities.
First off, DC is on helluva hot spot for cool local music. We are so lucky! One way to see many (well, NINE to be exact) awesome singer/songwriters at once, is to catch a show by The 9 Songwriter Series the brain child of the talented Justin Trawick. My friends and I caught their recent show at the Birchmere and OH MAN! This was an incredible way to spend an evening! Each show is a different line up, but it seems at the Birchmere show we were treated to an extra truly special group of singers and musicians. Take The Sweater Set for example. Sara and Maureen are two local cool-as-all-get-out dynamite chicks who NOT ONLY have the most beautiful harmonies, sweet, meaningful, and catchy lyrics but ALSO play a dizzying array of different instruments together. CHECK THEM OUT !
Another fave, and I loved his music even BEFORE I knew he hailed from Philly, is Jason Ager. His web site describes it best: "..... Ager’s talent as a storyteller shines as he weaves together the academic and the arcane into clever lyrics that reward the careful listener. Nestled comfortably atop classic soul, R&B, and rock influences, songs like “Overload” and “Everybody Needs Love” epitomize Jason’s ability to rouse hearts and minds in the same breath. " I mean this guy even makes playing the tuba look cool!!
There are so many others worth mentioning, maybe I should just start a blog highlighting all of the awesome talent we have lurking around here. Hmmmmm...not enough hours in a day I'm afraid!
Last but not least, is Mr. Justin Trawick himself. He and his band The Common Ground consist of acoustic guitar, upright bass, fiddle, mandolin, and pedal steel. Seriously cool, right?! From the web site: The band’s live performance plays fast and loose with the “Americana” genre, performing heartfelt ballads followed by raucous bluegrass melodies and even moments of hip hop verses. The hip hop verses?! You've never seen anything like it. BLUEGRASS HIP HOP y'all. They make it WORK.
And check out this damn fun video they did with Senator Tim Kaine:
These cool humans seem to be busy all the time doing shows here and there, so check out their events and dates, and get yourself to see them! Tell them I sent you ; )
Well it looks like I've run out of time to blather on about my wonderful trips to Milwaukee (daughter #1 !) and Dallas (daughter #2!). That's a post for another time, unfortunately. Right now it's way past my bedtime and I have to get up for school tomorrow!
Happy Hump Day y'all!!
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