The beat, the bands, the bugs, the breeze. The word “ecosystem” tends to feel apt when we’re talking about Washington’s perpetually dynamic music scene — especially in the summertime, when we’re given so many opportunities to experience live music in the open air. Plus, if you happen to catch a local artist performing out there, it’s an opportunity to have your sense of place affirmed in at least two different ways. Here are some of the most promising outdoor sounds coming to the area this summer, whether they originate in our ecosystem or elsewhere.
Home Rule Music Festival
Wild to think that D.C.’s annual Home Rule Music Festival — which celebrates homegrown jazz and go-go traditions that date back generations — is only on its third summer. And to add to the time-warping fun of it all, this year’s fest unfolds in episodes. An opening-night gig will be followed by a full day of outdoor music in June. Then jump ahead a full month for another day-long dance party in July. Expect appearances from a spate of spiritual jazz heroes (Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids; the New Doug Carn Sextet; Plunky and Oneness of Juju), plus a constellation of go-go troupes (Rare Essence; Black Alley; Be’la Dona). The outdoor events also promise family-friendly games, plus vendors peddling food, drinks and records.
June 21 at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW; June 22 at the Parks at Walter Reed, 7150 12th St. NW; July 20 at Alethia Tanner Park, 227 Harry Thomas Way NE. homerulemusicfestival.com.
Kokayi
Shake this, jiggle that. If you’ve been waiting your whole life for a rapper to ask you to move your C6 and C7 vertebrae, here it is: “Hump Day,” the party-starting lead single from “Kokayi: An Eponymous Jont,” the D.C. rap veteran’s strongest album in years. Improvised in the studio, his new music sounds lively and lived-in, with jazz-minded production that fits his rhymes hand in glove. The realness of those rhymes should make you forget about your spine, too. Maybe you’ve been waiting for rap songs about becoming an empty-nester, or rereading “The Lorax,” or refusing to forfeit your imagination at midlife. Kokayi has you covered there, too.
June 21 at Alexandria Jazz Fest at Waterfront Park, 1A Prince St., Alexandria. alexandriava.gov/arts.
Kim Gordon
Ever go to a music festival just to hear one song? I did once. It was the Trillectro festival in 2018 to hear Sheck Wes do “Mo Bamba.” Fun experiment, for sure. How will three minutes of music stand against a whole day of it? If this sounds like your idea of a good time, get yourself a ticket to the Out and About Festival where Sonic Youth co-founder Kim Gordon will almost certainly perform “Bye Bye,” a noisy new rap-like anthem so artful, so intense, so important-feeling, she played it twice during her set at the Black Cat in March. And there are plenty of other good reasons to attend Out and About, too. Billed as “a celebration of LGBTQ+ talent and allies,” the festival will also host performances from Brittany Howard, Jenny Lewis, Lawrence, Tiny Habits, Quinn Christopherson, Okan and Be Steadwell.
June 22 at the Out and About Festival at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va. wolftrap.org.
T-Pain
Ransack every last florist in the DMV, and we still won’t have enough plant life to give T-Pain the proverbial flowers he deserves. The self-described “rappa ternt sanga” made his big splash back in 2005, and today’s rap music still seems to exist in that 19-year shadow. At first, his legacy felt limited to his widespread popularization of Auto-Tune, but as the years go by, T-Pain is finally being recognized for using that voice-smoothing technology to underscore his melodic inventiveness, playfulness and vitality. Today, a T-Pain set list feels like a party celebrating the arc of 21st-century pop music writ large.
June 25 at Pier Six Pavilion, 731 Eastern Ave., Baltimore. livenation.com.
Smithsonian Folklife Festival
I know, I know. The brutality of the summer heat and the density of the tourist throng are two formidable strikes against this absolute gem of a festival, but year after year, Folklife’s celebration of “contemporary living cultural traditions” remains worth the sweat. This year’s theme is Indigenous Voices of the Americas, and it includes an exciting slate of musical performances — the Mi’kmaw music traditions of Sons of Membertou, Mixtec group Pasatono Orquesta, Guatemalan singer-songwriter Sara Curruchich and more. Yes, it’ll likely be hot, and, yes, it’ll probably be crowded, but you will hear the world differently.
June 26-July 1 on the National Mall. festival.si.edu.
Sam Hunt
Funny how time slips away, huh? Ten years ago, Sam Hunt was being fast-tracked to Nashville superstardom, singing exquisitely detailed love songs that triangulated melodic contours set forth by Kenny Chesney and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Since then, Hunt’s career has been a slow burn, with only two albums to his name. Touring this summer behind a sturdy new four-song EP, “Locked Up,” one of country music’s freshest voices suddenly sounds like a veteran.
July 12 at Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow, Va. livenation.com.
Broccoli City Festival
This annual rap extravaganza returns for two days in July with some of the biggest names in the game (Megan Thee Stallion, Gunna), as well as some of the most exciting (Veeze, Sexyy Red). Nota bene: Do not miss Karrahbooo — one of the most cool-minded, numb-tongued rappers to emerge in years — when she performs with Lil Yachty and the Concrete Boys.
July 27-28 at Audi Field, 100 Potomac Ave. SW. bcfestival.com.
E.U. with Sugar Bear
Strathmore’s “Live from the Lawn” concert series is scheduled to host all kinds of music this summer — jazz, blues, bluegrass, kids’ music and more. But what’s the plan for the gigs scheduled to take place after legendary go-go band E.U. — of “Da Butt” fame — presumably leaves a smoking crater in the grass? Pack a picnic dinner, your dancing shoes, your backside and a blast suit.
Aug. 7 at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda. strathmore.org.
Summer Spirit Festival
Since 2008, Summer Spirit has made itself into one of the region’s best music festivals by making everything feel like the season’s best block party — totally fun, incredibly cool, highly danceable, deeply communal, eternally reliable. This year’s bill doesn’t fuss with the formula. There are headlining appearances from Summer Spirit mainstays Erykah Badu, Method Man and Redman, as well as go-go sets from Backyard Band, Junkyard Band and the Chuck Brown Band.
Aug. 10 at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia, Md. merriweathermusic.com.
D.C. JazzFest
D.C. JazzFest is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a bill that feels absolutely stacked. Where to begin? The contemplative rat-a-tat of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington? The bottomless breadth of bassist Ron Carter? The atom-splitting melodies of pianist Kris Davis? The pathfinding calm of guitarist Bill Frisell? The deep rigor of saxophonist David Murray? Whichever entry point you choose, don’t be afraid to get lost in the entirety of it.
Aug. 28-Sept. 1 at the Wharf, 1001 7th St. SW. dcjazzfest.org.
