• Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra. Blues Alley. $25.
• L.A. Guns w/ Mis-Fit, Tilt, Sinner’s Trail, Bitter Pill. Jaxx. $18/$20. +21.
• Sheryl Crow, Ari Hest. Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $30-$48.
• TheoryCast, ReVeL, Fight The Bear, Conshafter. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
• DC Summer Extravaganza w/ Tittsworth, Nadastrom, Will Eastman, Bobby Jae & Ken Lazee, Dmerit. 9:30 club. $10. All ages.
• Canda, Bobbie Allen, Mila Levine, Michelle Murray, Treevibes, Lulu Fall, Vox Pop, Lux Operon, Peter S. Pinocci, Liberated Muse, Rob Wolcott. Artomatic. (For more info, see our Artomatic Manual)

Saturday

• 40th Annual Smoke-In: Human Rights (HR of the Bad Brains), See-I, Christos, Telesma, The Package, The Omsteaders, J.B. Bevereley and The Wayward Drifters, and DJ Bedroom. 23rd and Constitution Avenue NW. Free.
• National Symphony Orchestra: “A Capitol Fourth.” US Capitol, West Lawn. Free.
• DJ Regal, Fort Knox Five, All Good Funk Alliance. Black Cat. $10. All ages.
• Independence Day Noon:30 Release Party w/ The Laughing Man, Achtung Panda, Ghost Light, DJ Natty Boom. Velvet Lounge. $3-$8. +21.
• DJ Dk. Cafe Saint Ex.
• NoiseHouse, BLOODSHOT, HeeBeeGeeBees, Jeremy Steinhaus, Machines of Living Death, Anil Rock, Copper Rose & Bone, Julie O., Fat Roberta, Princess of Controversy, C.O.M.P., Mother Courage, The Very Small, Mambo Sauce, Zip The Uncanny, Vmasta & Cortez, Glasgow Tunnel, The FiF. Artomatic.

Sunday

• Blues Jam with the Idle Americans. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Jay Reatard, TV Smith. Black Cat. $12. All ages.
• The Scare, Energy, Fallen From The Sky, Ante Up, Debaser. Velvet Lounge. $8. +18.
• St. Croix Virgin Islands Reggae Tour 2009 w/ Batch, Ras Attitude, Empress Ima, Jah Empress. IOTA Club & Cafe. $12. +21.
• Smithsonian Folklife Festival: Only Men Aloud! Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• Triple Staccs, Mzery Loves Company, Mary Battiata & LITTLE PINK, RC Rex & the Progressionals, SAW Showcase, Seth Barna, House of Echo, Rob Wolcott, Dark Electric Showcase II, Sesshin No-Fi, Sarah Fridrich. Artomatic.

“A Capitol Fourth” 2007 photo by boboroshi, Creative Commons Attribution License.

• Never Too Late, Crimestoppers. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• Hermans Hermits featuring Peter Noone. Birchmere. $45.
• Pat Martino Trio (June 26-28). Blues Alley. $32.50.
• Ozric Tentacles. The State Theatre. $20.
• Anthony Nelson (second performance on June 27). Twins Jazz. $15.
• Sunsets with a Soundtrack: The U.S. Army Blues Band performs an Evening of Latin Jazz. West Steps U.S. Capitol. Free.
• Hot Coffee, Mississippi, The Convertible Jennifers, The Long Time Darlings. The Red & The  Black. $8. +21.
• Who’s Bad Michael Jackson Tribute Band. 9:30 club. $15. All ages.
• Doris Justis, The Cold June Tomorrows, Colin Jenkins, h double, Flo Anito, Riots On U, Wesley Gentle, Paper Ship Armada, The Yawns, Pup Tent, Jay Paslay, Miss Jess, Reversal, Space Tigers, WATERPLANET, David Correy. Artomatic. Free, donations accepted. Check out WCP’s Artomatic Manual for more info.

Saturday

• Femi Kuti & The Positive Force. 9:30 club. $27.50. All ages.
• The Big Cheese, Big Tow. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• The Seldom Scene, The Dillards. Birchmere. $25.
• The Lemonheads, Appomattox, Title Tracks. Black Cat. $15. All ages.
• Del Ray Music Festival. Mt. Vernon Recreation Center. Free.
• Buddham Sharanam Gachaami: “Celebrating Lord Vishnu and the Path of Peace.” Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. $40–$75.
• The Washington Korean Symphony Orchestra: Jeong-Won Suh, piano. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. $35.
• Lode Runner, Wild Fictions, Ribbons. Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• Dogs Without Boarders, Eagle and Talon. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
• Nick, Solograph, Ember, Music Temple, Matt Ambrosio, Someone Special, Latricia Lee, Rob Martino, Andrea Zarkauskas, Treevibes, The Galt Line, James Stephen Terrell, Eubonics, Long Walks On The Beach. Artomatic. Free, donations accepted.

Sunday

• Blues Jam with the Idle Americans. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• The Soul Sista Summit: Conya Doss, SY Smith, Maya Azucena, M.C. YahZarah. Birchmere. $29.50.
• The Shondes, The Bitter Tears. Black Cat Backstage. $10. All Ages.
• Team B, New Numbers, Evan Voytas. DC9. $8. +18.
• The Kennedy Center Chamber Players. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. $35.
• 311, Ziggy Marley, The Expendables. Nissan Pavilion. $30-$45.
• The Church, Adam Franklin, Bolts of Melody. The State Theatre. $25.
• Sugarplums, Puffy Areolas, Nun Party, Secret Pop Band. Velvet Lounge. $8. +18.
• Tiny Vipers, Balmorhea, Argos. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
• Daniel Gage, Organize, ALONA, SAW Showcase, Iritis, Copper Rose & Bone, Y. Misdaq aka Yoshi, Storm The Unpredictable, The Mesmers, Walker & Red, Moon Pie, Sweet Interference. Artomatic. Free, donations accepted.

Photo of Femi Kuti via MySpace.

Fresh off a well-reviewed performance at NEARfest, the most prestigious progressive rock festival in the United States (don’t laugh), Mexican instrumental trio Cabezas de Cera are playing two dates this week in D.C. plus one in Baltimore. Cabezas de Cera aren’t your typical bombastic prog band; rather, they combine folk, prog, free improv and a touch of the avant-garde into a fascinating and fairly uncategorizable mish-mash, and they’ve been doing it for about ten years now. While the basic format of the trio (plus a member credited as a “sound designer”) is guitars/saxes/drums, in reality they play a bewildering array of instruments, from traditional instruments to nontraditional rock instruments like the Chapman Stick, plus a variety of homemade implements.

Cabezas de Cera are playing the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage tonight at 6pm sharp, then at Artomatic tomorrow night at 8:30pm. Both these shows are free. On Sunday, they will make an appearance at Orion Sound Studios in Baltimore alongside Might Could – you can expect a longer set at this show for your $15. Orion is at 2903 Whittington Ave, shows are usually scheduled to start around 8pm.

Have a listen at Myspace or check out their website for more info.

Image courtesy Cabezas de Cera’s Myspace page

Full schedule after the jump

Sonic Circuits @ Artomatic
55 M St. SE, Washington DC
Cabaret Stage, 2nd Floor

Performer Time
Robert Blake Highway 4pm
Kingdom of Sharks 430pm
Sean Peoples 5pm
Layne Garrett 530pm
Dave Vosh+Logan Mitchell Sr. 6pm
Nine Strings 630pm
Fast Forty 7pm
RDK 730pm
Soft Pieces 8pm
BLK w/ BEAR+VJ Poppins 830pm
Pilesar 9pm
The Angus Brainpan 930pm
Tone Ghosting 10pm
Twenty-first Century Chamber Ensemble 1030pm
Second Land 11pm
Kuschty Rye Ergot 1130pm
Slug Bait 12am
Aerosolized Mucus 12:30am