A lot of cities in the USA have countless auditoriums, bars, clubs, and restaurants where one can find live performance music. Of course, many establishments charge an admission, or have a cover charge when musicians perform. The District of Columbia and the surrounding area has many opportunities for listening to live music performance for free. Perhaps this situation is a result of proximity to our national government and ‘earmark’ funding for special interests, but we don’t think so.

For example, every spring the Folklore Society of Greater Washington sponsors a Folk Festival that is entirely free to attend. It is usually a cornicopia of just about every music style one can imagine. Some of the musicians and singers are unique to this area and you cannot hear them anywhere else. The Washington, DC metropolitan area also claims to be the ‘home’ of bluegrass music. Other cities have staked claims to music styles like New Orleans with its Jazz, and Nashville with its Country music. We believe the Washington, DC claim to ‘bluegrass’ music is a strong one.  Read the rest of this entry »