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| The Persuasions visit AMP, July 10th |
From our friends at AMP by Strathmore...
A Cappella Icons, First Latin Dance Night, Nostalgic Johnny Mercer Double Bill
Rockville Pike’s new concert venue, AMP, continues to spice up the Pike District with an eclectic lineup of live performances. Concerts and events in July 2015 include a performance by a cappella icons The Persuasions, the venue’s first Latin Dance night featuring Colombian music and dance from the Verny Varela Band on the eve of the country’s Independence Day, and back-to-back tributes to pop music icon Johnny Mercer with Lee Lessack and television star Linda Purl. An extension of its mission to foster and provide a stage for local musicians, Strathmore’s new venue also features performances by tribute band The VI-Kings and Afrobeat group ChopTeeth. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.AMPbyStrathmore.com.
Upcoming concerts at AMP in July 2015 include:
THE PERSUASIONS
Friday, July 10, 2015
8 PM
Heavyweight champions of a cappella, The Persuasions started singing on the stoops of Brooklyn in 1961. They’ve released 18 albums, and have recorded or performed with some of pop music’s most influential voices, including Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, The Neville Brothers, and B.B. King. Having carried the a cappella torch through the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, the guys continue to draw a diverse fan base through tributes to Frank Zappa, the Grateful Dead, and the Beatles.
Friday, July 10, 2015
8 PM
Heavyweight champions of a cappella, The Persuasions started singing on the stoops of Brooklyn in 1961. They’ve released 18 albums, and have recorded or performed with some of pop music’s most influential voices, including Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, The Neville Brothers, and B.B. King. Having carried the a cappella torch through the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, the guys continue to draw a diverse fan base through tributes to Frank Zappa, the Grateful Dead, and the Beatles.
THE VI-KINGS
Saturday, July 11, 2015
8 PM
The music of The VI-Kings is a veritable mixtape of great music—covering The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Credence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, The Yardbirds, and more. The VI-Kings are Bethesda’s “hometown band” bringing to the stage the infectious spirit of this special era of British Invasion/American pop.
CHOPTEETH
Saturday, July 18, 2015
8 PM
Straddling the funkiest, most hip-shakin’ West African beats and American popular music, ChopTeeth is “a fearsome live act” (Washington City Paper) that specializes in music that brings audiences to their feet. The band’s bread and butter is Afrobeat - big-band funk invented in Nigeria in the 1970s—a spicy stew of modern jazz, Yoruba tribal music, and burning, James Brown-inspired rhythms that have kept Washington audiences roiling for years.
CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT COLOMBIA
Sunday, July 19, 2015
7:30 PM
On the eve of Colombian Independence Day, the sizzling Verny Varela Band brings the eclectic cultural combo that is Colombian music and dance to AMP. World-renowned Colombia native Varela leads this celebration of his native land, with DJ Nelson “X-treme,” and a selection of Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Venezuelan dance performances by El Tayrona, The Tamborito, and Baila4Life.
KAREN BRIGGS
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
8 PM
Wild strings - what Karen Briggs does with the violin could make anybody’s heart sing. The Lady in Red and Cheikh N’Doye unleash “soulchestra,” a hybrid of orchestral training with heavy gospel and R&B, with underpinnings of New Age-Latin and jazzy hip-hop. A mélange, her potent blend hits audiences right in the soul. Unencumbered by genres, Briggs spans the gap between Yanni Live at the Acropolis and “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and does it with unforgettable style.
HACKENSAW BOYS
Thursday, July 23, 2015
8 PM
The Boys pull together all the finger-pickin’ goodness of classical bluegrass and add smart tongue-in-cheek lyrics in a rootsy revival of country rock. Hailing from Charlottesville, the Hackensaw Boys’ unique style, awesome talent, and sheer musicality are indicative of the future of country music, without losing its horsehair-and-harmony sensibilities.
TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS: THE SONGS OF JOHNNY MERCER
STARRING LEE LESSACK & LINDA PURL
Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1, 2015
8 PM
Linda Purl (Happy Days, Matlock, The Office) and award-winning recording artist Lee Lessack stir up a powerhouse evening as they sing their way through the heartwarming music of Georgia’s favorite son, songwriter Johnny Mercer. An American treasure, Mercer wrote the lyrics to more than 1,500 songs and underscored some of the most enduring moments in popular culture. Lessack culled Mercer’s prolific songbook, weaving heretofore unknown stories with such timeless tunes as “Moon River,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Black Magic,” “My Shining Hour,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and many more.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
8 PM
The music of The VI-Kings is a veritable mixtape of great music—covering The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Credence Clearwater Revival, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, The Yardbirds, and more. The VI-Kings are Bethesda’s “hometown band” bringing to the stage the infectious spirit of this special era of British Invasion/American pop.
CHOPTEETH
Saturday, July 18, 2015
8 PM
Straddling the funkiest, most hip-shakin’ West African beats and American popular music, ChopTeeth is “a fearsome live act” (Washington City Paper) that specializes in music that brings audiences to their feet. The band’s bread and butter is Afrobeat - big-band funk invented in Nigeria in the 1970s—a spicy stew of modern jazz, Yoruba tribal music, and burning, James Brown-inspired rhythms that have kept Washington audiences roiling for years.
CELEBRATION OF THE GREAT COLOMBIA
Sunday, July 19, 2015
7:30 PM
On the eve of Colombian Independence Day, the sizzling Verny Varela Band brings the eclectic cultural combo that is Colombian music and dance to AMP. World-renowned Colombia native Varela leads this celebration of his native land, with DJ Nelson “X-treme,” and a selection of Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Venezuelan dance performances by El Tayrona, The Tamborito, and Baila4Life.
KAREN BRIGGS
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
8 PM
Wild strings - what Karen Briggs does with the violin could make anybody’s heart sing. The Lady in Red and Cheikh N’Doye unleash “soulchestra,” a hybrid of orchestral training with heavy gospel and R&B, with underpinnings of New Age-Latin and jazzy hip-hop. A mélange, her potent blend hits audiences right in the soul. Unencumbered by genres, Briggs spans the gap between Yanni Live at the Acropolis and “Gangsta’s Paradise,” and does it with unforgettable style.
HACKENSAW BOYS
Thursday, July 23, 2015
8 PM
The Boys pull together all the finger-pickin’ goodness of classical bluegrass and add smart tongue-in-cheek lyrics in a rootsy revival of country rock. Hailing from Charlottesville, the Hackensaw Boys’ unique style, awesome talent, and sheer musicality are indicative of the future of country music, without losing its horsehair-and-harmony sensibilities.
TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS: THE SONGS OF JOHNNY MERCER
STARRING LEE LESSACK & LINDA PURL
Friday and Saturday, July 31 and August 1, 2015
8 PM
Linda Purl (Happy Days, Matlock, The Office) and award-winning recording artist Lee Lessack stir up a powerhouse evening as they sing their way through the heartwarming music of Georgia’s favorite son, songwriter Johnny Mercer. An American treasure, Mercer wrote the lyrics to more than 1,500 songs and underscored some of the most enduring moments in popular culture. Lessack culled Mercer’s prolific songbook, weaving heretofore unknown stories with such timeless tunes as “Moon River,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Black Magic,” “My Shining Hour,” “Come Rain or Come Shine,” and many more.
About AMP, powered by Strathmore:
AMP is great music and food at Pike & Rose, an urban-minded, Metro-accessible neighborhood along Rockville Pike that puts a premium on authentic live music experiences, bringing new energy beyond the Beltway. The live music and dining concept is a collaborative venture of Strathmore, Federal Realty Investment Trust (NYSE:FRT), and 550 Events & Provisions, a division of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. Located in the thriving and rapidly changing North Bethesda District in Montgomery County, AMP is the nexus of live entertainment in the growing Pike & Rose neighborhood, and together with iPic Theaters, Pinstripes bocce and bowling concept, and a roster of restaurants will foster a vibrant nighttime economy in Montgomery County.
