Local musician Ricky Parrell plans to celebrate the debut of his first album in August at Jammin’ Java.
Inspired by a prompt that asks creative writers to craft short stories about items on their keychains, Parrell decided to shift the idea toward another medium — an album he ended up calling “Keys to My Life.”
Parrell said that his talents as a musician with the United States Air Force Band and experience as an adjunct professor for the Northern Virginia Community College allow him to transcend different musical genres. Listeners can expect to hear six to eight tracks on the album each featuring a different genre or style of jazz.
Despite the variance, Parrell said the album is still meant to flow cohesively.
“It has been the most challenging thing I’ve done musically, to get everything together and off the ground,” Parrell said.
One of the largest roadblocks during the creation of his album was a problem with the licensing for one of his tracks when he wanted to cover a song from a Canadian artist. “Getting to that point was like six months of frustration because I couldn’t find the right person to talk to,” he said.
Once he was able to track down the artist, they were excited about the idea of his cover, he said, adding that most artists are excited to get their work out into the world.
Before the big album release, fans can expect two singles accompanied by music videos. Parrell said “My Bike Lock” should appear on his Facebook page before the end of July, while “Man Like You” will be released in early August.
“Keys to My Life” features well-known musicians such as Justin Stanton of Snarky Puppy and Grammy Award Winning trumpet player, Randy Brecker. Stanton and Parrell attended school together and will both perform at the album debut event on Aug. 25.
Parrell considered hosting the debut in New York City, but decided to keep it local, since he grew up in Vienna. He hopes to help put the city on the map while helping local businesses and foster the music scene.
“Places like Jammin’ Java are rare,” he said. “Big names go through there and you wouldn’t even know it.”
Tickets start at $10 for the debut performance of his album. For an extra $10, attendees can walk away with an album CD. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Second photo courtesy Ricky Parrell
The Town of Vienna’s free monthly block parties this summer will start on Friday (June 21).
Featuring live music, food trucks and activities, the summer block parties are called “Chillin’ on Church” because they take place on Church Street between Dominion and Mill roads.
Here is the live music line-up:
- June 21: The Deja Gruv Band, playing R&B, funk and soul
- July 19: Mudlark, a classic rock and blues group
- Aug. 16: Big Bad JuJu, a rock and dance cover band
- Sept. 20: Hard Swimmin’ Fish, a jazz and funk ensemble
The summer block parties are from 6:30-9:30 p.m. every third Friday this summer.
The food truck list for this Friday has nearly a dozen vendors, including:
- Ben and Jerry’s
- Blue City Food — Indian street food
- Chix N Stix — wings, chicken tenders, hot dogs and fries
- Crepe Love Truck
- DC Korean BBQ Taco Box
- DC Slices — thin-crust pizza and tater tots
- Kona Ice of North Fairfax County — shaved ice
- N.C. Ribs on Wheels — barbecue, ribs, turkey legs and more
- Stay Cheesy Food Truck
- Tapas Truck DC
- Urban Bumpkin BBQ
While blankets and lawn chairs are welcome, alcohol not purchased at the party and pets are not.
Photo courtesy Town of Vienna
The City of Falls Church’s free summer concert series will return this week.
Now in its 27th year, the annual City of Falls Church Concerts in the Park series highlights local musicians with a show every Thursday this summer at 7 p.m. in Cherry Hill Park (312 Park Avenue).
The lineup this year:
- June 20: Falls Church Concert Band, playing concert music
- June 27: Mountain Fish, a Southern rock and country group
- July 4: to be determined
- July 11: Korybantes, playing ’80s, ’90s and modern rock hits
- July 18: Soul Stew, a Motown band
- July 25: Big Tow, an alternative and blues band
- Aug. 1: Big Howdy, a progressive bluegrass band
Attendees are encouraged to bring a blanket and a picnic dinner. If it starts to rain, the concert will get moved to the Falls Church Community Center (223 Little Falls Street).
The performer for the Fourth of July concert, which will take place at George Mason High School (7124 Leesburg Pike), has not been named yet.
Image via City of Falls Church
A free summer concert series will kick off Friday (June 7) in the Town of Vienna.
The town partnered with the Rotary Club of Vienna and other sponsors on the “Summer on the Green Concert Series.”
The concerts start at 6:30 p.m. — unless otherwise noted — on Fridays at the Vienna Town Green (144 E. Maple Avenue).
Friday performance schedule:
- June 7: Vienna Idol
- June 14: Nowhere Men, an acoustic Beatles tribute band
- June 21: Chillin’ on Church featuring the Deja Gruv Band
- June 28: Sarah Bennett Swanner playing country and blues Covers
- July 5: U.S. Navy Band Commodores, a big band jazz ensemble
- July 12: Fat Chance playing rock music
- July 19: Chillin’ on Church featuring Mudlark
- July 26: U.S. Army Band playing Louisiana jazz and folk
- August 2: The Rockits playing rock and Motown
- August 9: Shenandoah Run, a folk group
- August 16: Chillin’ on Church featuring Big Bad JuJu
- August 23: Wayne Tympanick Trio playing jazz
- September 20: Chillin’ on Church featuring the Hard Swimmin’ Fish
The concert series also has a handful of performances that are not on Fridays, but do start at 6:30 p.m., including:
- Wednesday, June 12: Rocknocerous
- Sunday, July 7: U.S. Navy Band playing bluegrass
- Sunday, July 21: Vienna Community Band
Attendees can bring chairs and blankets, but should leave alcohol and pets at home.
If rain clouds roll in, attendees can call 703-255-7842 or the Department of Parks and Recreation at 703-255-6360 two hours before the event for cancellation information.
Image via Google Maps
Indie pop band Echosmith is one of the groups set to perform in the 2019 Summer Concert Series outside Tysons Corner Center.
The line-up for the free summer concerts in The Plaza outside the mall was recently revealed today (Tuesday). The concerts featuring iHeartRadio artists all take place on Fridays in June.
The schedule is the following:
- June 7: Tucker Beathard
- June 14: Thompson Square
- June 21: Echosmith
- June 28: Tauren Wells
Best known for their 2013 single “Cool Kids,” Echosmith was started by a quartet of siblings. In March, the band released their newest single, “Favorite Sound.”
Tucker Beathard is a singer-songwriter who released a country album called “Nobody’s Everything” last year and a single this year called “Better Than Me.”
Grammy-nominated Thompson Square is a country duo, whose 2018 comeback album “Masterpiece” album gave fans a glimpse into the married couple’s personal lives.
Tauren Wells, a Grammy-nominated Christian rock and pop artist, recently dropped his “God’s Not Done With You” single in April.
Photo via Twitter
Music lovers looking for free concerts can head to McLean on Sundays this summer.
McLean’s returning summer concert series plans to feature a variety of musical styles, including Latin, brass, jazz, Americana and rock.
The concerts run from June 16 to July 29.
June lineup:
- Alphabet Rockers — hip-hop beats for kids
- Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards — New Orleans-style jazz and favorite jazz standards
- Sonia de Los Santos — Latin American family music
July lineup:
- DuPont Brass — a brass band that plays jazz, hip-hop and R&B
- Frontiers — a Journey tribute band
- Justin Trawick and the Common Good — a band led by D.C.-based songwriter Justin Trawick
- Slippery When Wet — a Bon Jovi tribute band
Sponsored by The Alden at the McLean Community Center, the concert series takes place every Sunday afternoon at 5 p.m. in the gazebo of McLean Central Park (1468 Dolley Madison Blvd).
Photo courtesy McLean Community Center
A musical about how women won the right to vote is coming to the Town of Vienna for a sold-out preview ahead of a national tour.
“19: The Musical” chronicles the struggles of women suffragists, including Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells, Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Inez Milholland.
Ratified Aug. 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment made it illegal to deny U.S. citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. The show’s national tour for this fall coincides with the amendment’s centennial next year.
From the musical’s website:
The inspirational story of these fearless women is brought to life through jazz, traditional musical standards style, spoken word, hints of gospel and dance. 2020 is the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment; our goal is to get a full production of 19 up and running, and onto a stage by the end of 2019.
The show’s book and lyrics were created by Jennifer Schwed and Doug Bradshaw, the cofounders of the Alexandria-based Through the 4th Wall. The show’s music is by film composer Charlie Barnett.
All 200 tickets got snapped up for the special preview performance at the Vienna Community Center (120 Cherry Street SE) on Friday (May 17), according to the musical’s Facebook page. The preview will include songs, dance and narration from the first and second acts of the show.
Photo via Facebook
Vienna’s version of “American Idol” is winding down auditions ahead of the semi-finals during ViVa! Vienna!
Vienna Idol showcases local talent, while also raising money for the Khristin Kyllo Memorial Fund, which honors the memory of a local Vienna resident who died suddenly due to a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).
The last audition slots for the eighth annual music competition will be held on Wednesday.
Here’s where hopeful contestants can audition:
- Today (May 14): 7-9 p.m. at Whole Foods (143 Maple Avenue E.)
- Tomorrow (May 15): 7-9 p.m. at Caffe Amouri Coffee Roaster (107 Church Street NE)
Up next, the semi-finals will take place in the parking lot of Caffe Amouri during ViVa! Vienna! next Sunday, May 26.
The winner gets chosen by attendees, who vote for their favorite “Idol” during a concert on the Vienna Town Green (144 Maple Avenue E.) on Friday, June 7.
The first place winner will receive $700 and eight hours of professional recording studio time. The contestant in second place will walk away with $500, while the contestant in third place will get $250.
Image via Facebook
The Tysons branch of an educational service centers chain had a short-lived closure after the franchise owner was arrested on charges of sexually assaulting two students.
A spokeswoman for the Huntington Learning Centers said its branches in Tysons and Springfield both reopened on April 26, one week after they closed.
“They were reopened after we could be assured that the Springfield and Tysons centers were not involved in the incidents alleged,” the spokeswoman said.
Franchise owner Jeffrey Cummins faces eight felony counts of indecent liberties by a custodian against children, and the abuse allegedly occurred inside Cummins’ home in Annandale.
Eileen Huntington, the chief executive officer of the Huntington Learning Centers, said in a statement:
“Our focus has always been to provide a safe and supportive environment for students. Upon learning of the situation reported, the centers were immediately closed until we could be assured that the Springfield and Tysons centers were not involved in the incidents alleged, that all students were safe, and that they will continue to be in the future. After confirmation, both centers reopened. We look forward to continuing our mission to provide every student with the best education possible.”
The Tysons facility operates in the Centennial Plaza shopping center at 8290 Old Courthouse Road. According to the company’s website, the facility has been open for 23 years.
The spokeswoman did not respond to questions from Tysons Reporter about how many kids were affected by the closure.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney said that because the victims in the case are under the age of 18, the case is first going to the juvenile domestic court for a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 22.
After the preliminary hearing, depending on the judge’s determination, the case could be sent to the circuit court.
A new education-oriented music studio, called Crescendo Studios, just opened in Merrifield, near the Mosaic District.
Eddie Fuentes, director of the studio, said the goal is to provide individualized music lessons and to teach students to be creative thinkers in a diverse, nurturing environment.
“Our mission is to bring culture, diversity and a wealth of experience to the education of our students,” Fuentes said. “Too many times education of the arts is homogenized and every individual is treated the same. This method of teaching can work for some but there are many students who become unmotivated and underwhelmed because they are not being engaged the right way.”
The studio opened inside the old MHz Studio at 8101 Lee Highway. Fuentes said the facility has seven private lesson rooms, four band rooms, and a recording studio.
Private music lessons at Crescendo Studio are $35 for a 30-minute lesson or $65 for a one-hour lesson. Small group classes for 6-9 year olds are $35 for one-hour lessons and the Prelude Piano Program for 5-7 year olds is $35 for a one-hour lesson.
The studio is planning to host an open house on Saturday, April 27 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., giving prospective students, parents or instructors a chance to tour the building and meet the studio’s teachers.
“Our initial goal is to establish ourselves as the go-to location for music education,” said Fuentes. “In our second phase, we aim to bring other art forms into our school such as dance, musical theater, canvas art and more.”
Photo via Facebook
