Taking a break from their regular gig hosting an open mic night at JV'sin Falls Church, Martha Capone, of the Martha Capone Band, and Bob Hume, of just about every strong duo or trio in the area, will be teaming up for a night of acoustic rock and some holiday favorites at Cowboy Cafe Friday night. The night before The Night Before Christmas should be a fun, easy, laid-back show, Capone said. With her band, which is schedule to play at Cowboy again in February, Capone plays a mix of rock from the 60s and 70s, with a few newer songs by Sheryl Crowe, Joan Osborne and the like for good measure. …

Upon walking into Cassatt's one Saturday night, diners and the musically curious were treated to a brief history lesson on Piedmont blues. Rick Franklin, the clear leader of this four-piece ensemble, explains that this particular style of music originated in the middle part of the commonwealth, as a way for news and stories to be passed along from town to town. "You use your thumb to play alternating bass on a six-string guitar, and you use your three fingers melody or rhythm," Franklin explained. So simple, and yet the lines are intricate, not watered-down. Along with drummer Rick Usilton …

A wide-eyed guy from outside Chicago looking for truth, honesty, and the real America. This guy's not in the White House, but Steve Tibbets will be bringing his vision of folk music to Cowboy Cafe this Saturday, August 13, complete with a portfolio of songs trying to make sense of the mixed-up crazy world of the greater Washington area. Tibbets, who grew up about two hours east of Chicago in Elkhart, Indiana, moved here a few years ago to work as a government contract lawyer. Music is a way to keep his passion alive, and his job's a way to support his habit, he said. "Most of the stuff I do …

Jason Meza sings like Eric Clapton, plays his own rhythm and isn't afraid to take well-known songs and turn them into something entirely different. A recent set at the Cowboy Cafe on Lee Highway, Meza, joined by Bob Hume on lead guitar, opened the night with a little "Folsom Prison Blues" and slid into Elvis Presley's "It's Alright Momma," a pairing instantly familiar to anyone who saw the biopic "Walk the Line" a few years ago. The two men, slinging their electric acoustics, nod slightly to the beat while Meza sings. Followed by the Beatles' iconic "Something," a calypso take on Van Morrison…

When a band's first number includes the lead singer yodeling, it's going to be an interesting night. Billy Triplett isn't afraid to mix together a variety of influences-- the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, a little reggae, some bluegrass and a splash of Phish-- in his live performances, backed by Jason Byrd on electric guitar and percussionist Drew Beck. During one of the band's semi-regular gigs at Cowboy Cafe March 19, the band joked and strummed happily through several 10-song sets, and this is a band that knows its audience. A few things set apart this band from others in the bar's cast of …

It was a simple set up: A blond woman in a sparkly black blouse, black pants playing a black electric acoustic guitar, joined by a man with dark-framed glasses, shaggy hair and a dark shirt with an upright double bass. They played jazz standards, the occasional blues tune, lots of laid-back melodies with note-perfect matches between the two instruments and her well-trained voice. It was, in short, a perfect accompaniment to a rainy Saturday night in a comfy cozy restaurant. Esther Haynes and Eric Shramek have been playing together in a regular gig at La Porta's in Alexandria for seven years, …

When he was about four years old, Memphis Gold picked up his first guitar. It was a cigar box with a ruler running down the length of it, with rubber bands holding the ruler in place and acting as strings. "I made it myself," said Gold, chuckling.  "I used a pencil as a bridge." That was just the start of this talented musician's career--playing in his family's church under his father's watchful eye, learning early on that "all the little girls love a guitar player" and sharing the stage with big-time musicians without realizing they were famous. Gold's come a long way from the Mississippi …

The duo of Matt Holsen and John Peiffer faced some technical difficulties early in their 90-minute set at Cassatt's Café on Lee Highway Saturday night when a speaker malfunctioned, sending Holsen back to his house to pick up a replacement. Luckily, Holsen's been a fixture in the Arlington and Washington, D.C., music scene for a few decades, so there was a back-up ready to save the night. Good thing for the handful of patrons enjoying their dinner and desserts: The incredibly talented and multifaceted musical team put on a far-reaching set, featuring the songs of Duke Ellington, Jim Croce, …

Renee McCullough is a tiny lady, with pale blond hair and sleepy eyes. And then she starts to sing, a soft, sweet voice with the faintest hint of something suggesting a slight Southern accent, undertones of Stevie Nicks and Jewel. When she and her backing band, featuring Grammy winner Jim Robeson on bass and Jason Byrd on acoustic and electric guitar, it was something to see. Playing a set of originals and covers, all with a bluesy-country vibe, McCullough and the guys have an understanding—she's the front, they're the supporters, but it's clear all are comfortable in their roles. And …

Once upon a time, a girl from North Dakota met a boy from Oklahoma in a musical theater class. She, a theater major, and he, studying international relations, began talking during class. Their first date may or may not have been dinner and working on songs—he disputes it, she playfully insists—but the rest is local music history. Joie Sherman and John Johnson, better known 'round these parts as North Meets South, have been a couple for several years and a band for just over one and a half, but the combination of her classically trained voice and his skillful-but-nearly-self-taught guitar is …

They might be from Arlington, but the Alpha Dog Blues Band certainly sounds like Chicago. The four-piece ensemble played Cowboy Café Friday night, and even without a smoke-filled room that the blues always seems to accompany, the band played to an increasingly full house that was having at least as much fun as the band. Singer and harmonica player Roger Hart says the band has only been playing together for about a year and a half, but the members have been playing on their own or in other groups for years. Alpha Dog Blue plays covers of familiar tunes but the songs have an authenticity to …

Brad Doggett has a kind of confidence that belies his 22 year. The baby-faced singer and life-long Arlington resident began his musical career playing talent shows and battles of the bands at Yorktown High School after picking up a guitar at the age of 14. Now, with more than 54,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/doggettbm), the latest musician in the Doggett family has a bright future ahead of him. "I saw other people putting up covers of songs on YouTube and they were getting thousands of views and comments," Doggett said in a phone interview last week. "So I …