I attended the Viva Vienna! Festival over the weekend, Viva Vienna! is held every year in Vienna, Virginia, as a celebration of Memorial Day. There are carnival rides, food, craft and business vendors, and lots of music!
I didn't get to hear them all because I was only there two days, and there are three stages, so some of the performances overlapped.
Anyway, here's some of what you could hear at Viva Vienna 2015!
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Silver Line (or Silver Line Station) is a fairly new band, described as hard-hitting Americana. I guess that's about right. The most interesting part of this band is the fiddle player (Dave Kline) who gives them a unique sound, playing parts that might normally be taken by the lead guitarist.
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| Silver Line Station |
The next band up was Irresponsible. That's not a criticism, it's just their name. Sorry, I didn't get a picture...
From their website:
"Irresponsible is an Alt-Rock band based out of Washington, DC, whose hard work has landed them headlining shows at such nationally-renowned venues as the 9:30 Club and Jammin’ Java. The quality and consistency of Irresponsible’s studio releases and live shows have established the band as favorites in the DC music community. With the release of one EP and two LPs over four short years, Irresponsible has received consistent airplay on the Local Lix hours of DC’s premier rock station, DC101. Five of their songs have been featured on the station, including the most recent single, “Burn With Me.” Irresponsible’s blend of lighthearted fun and serious musicianship sets this group apart from the rest!"I know it sounds like a bunch of hard-core head-bangers, but much of what they played was mainstream—and that's not a criticism, either.
Ken Wenzel & Cross Kentucky
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| Ken Wenzel & Cross Kentucky |
Ken Wenzel is a saxophonist turned acoustical guitar player doing a bit of country, rock, and jazz. When it was his time to go on stage, he walked up to the mic and just started playing—no introduction of the song. That seems to be his style. The whole band was there, though he sometimes goes solo. And, yes, he did play the saxophone!
When Jr. Cline and the Recliners took the stage, my first thought was, "Wow. What a bunch of old geezers. They must be my age." But let me tell you, the geezers can play! They do a R&B / Soul / Rock mix, and even though a lot of tunes are oldies, they do a great job. The band also did some original songs, so they're not just doing other folk's stuff.
Here's Jr. Cline introducing Miss Virginia. I'm not sure why she was there, but that's okay.
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| Jr Cline and the Recliners at Viva Vienna 2015 introducing Miss Virginia |
To give you an example of what they do (with their full band - only part of the group was at Viva Vienna!), here's a video:
The final act of the festival was Suburban Hearts, billed as an acoustical singer/songwriter duo. They do have a third person in the group now, playing bass guitar. I didn't catch his name. They're sort of a folk/rock/country mix, and it works well for them. I didn't get a picture, so I stole this one from their website.
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| Hope Linzer & James Cubeta of Suburban Hearts |
You can find out where they are playing on Reverbnation.
If any of these bands look interesting, visit their websites. Most have a few songs posted for you to listen to. Better yet, go see them live!
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