• The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Lil Ronnie & the Grand Dukes. Birchmere. $25.
• Orquesta Ashe, Ocho de Bastos. Black Cat. $12/$15. All ages.
• Van Morrison. DAR Constitution Hall. $95-$350.
• Keith Secola & His Wild Band of Indians. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free.
• O.A.R., Matt Nathanson. Merriweather Post Pavilion. $30–$38.
• The Start, Normandie, The Perfects, Skydivers. The Red & The Black. $10. +21.
• The Tennis System, Paperhaus, Loose Lips, No Dice. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
• Sunsets with a Soundtrack: The U.S. Army Concert Band. West Steps U.S. Capitol. Free.
• FFFever, Exactly, Smarts, Raccoon Fighter. Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• Wolf Trap Opera Company: “La Boheme.” Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $10–$60.

Saturday

• Tracy Chapman, Gabi Moreno. 9:30 club. $40. All ages.
• Blues Condition, Rival Tribe. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• 1964: The Tribute. Birchmere. $35.
• Fiery Furnaces, Wye Oak, Screens. Black Cat. $15. All ages.
• Baby Teeth, My Dear Disco. IOTA Club & Cafe. $10. +21.
• 2009 Memorial Concert in Honor of Susanna “Susie” Kim. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. SOLD OUT.
• Ricardo Arjona. Patriot Center. $59-$99.
• Parliament Hill, Rick Irby, Taylor Carson. The Red & The Black. $8. +21.
• Five Four, Sweet Interference, Bellflur, Gaslight Society. Rock and Roll Hotel. $10. All ages.
• Len Bias, Citizen Meander, Lost Civilizations, The Fordists. Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• B-52s, The New Collisions. Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $25–$40.
• DJ Dk. Cafe Saint Ex.

Sunday

• Mos Def. 9:30 club. $35. All ages.
• Barbershop Jam, Blues Jam w/ the Idle Americans. Bangkok Blues. Call for price.
• The Neville Brothers. Birchmere. $49.50.
• Ra Ra Rasputin, Anamanaguchi, Lode Runner. Black Cat Backstage. $10. All ages.
• Lights Resolve, Awesome New Republic. DC9. $8. +21.
• Incubus, The Duke Spirit. Merriweather Post Pavilion. $35–$45.
• Green Room Rockers, The Forthrights, The Chariots. The Red & The Black. $6. +21.
• Screen Vinyl Image, Space Tigers, Oblisk, The Skygreen Leopards. Velvet Lounge. $8. +21.
• Johnny Mathis. Filene Center at Wolf Trap. $22–$45.

Eleanor Friedberger of Fiery Furnaces photo by neonwar, Creative Commons Attribution License.

Who knew that D.C. had its very own Cuban timba and salsa band?  Yep, Orquesta Ashe, led by Cuban Aramis Pazos Barrera will be at the Left Bank in Adams Morgan tonight.  Timba is a modern Cuban brand of salsa that adds funk beats and hornwork to the traditional clave rhythm.  Barrera was a dancer in Cuba's National Modern Dance Company and a guest artist with the Bolshoi Ballet in 1988.  In DC he has taught dancing at Danceplace and percussion in schools. His international band (3 singers, 3 percussionists, bass, piano, sax, flute, trombone, and trumpet) includes members from Senegal and Cape Verde as well as locals like noted percussionist Sam Turner (a New Yorker who played with Lionel Hampton and on boogaloo records but who’s been in DC for awhile).  I haven't seen them yet, but their background sounds promising.

Friday June 5  Orquesta Ashe at 11:30 p.m. (and dance lessons at 10:30) at Leftbank, 2424 18th St NW, DC. (202) 464-2100; $12, age 21 +