music | ALXnow

Popular Del Ray open mic marks third anniversary Wednesday

Published September 12, 2025 at 11:45AM

The What-Have-You open mic night is held every first and third Wednesdays at Evening Star Lounge in Del Ray (courtesy photo)

A popular open mic night in Del Ray is celebrating its third anniversary next Wednesday (Sept. 17).

Greg Roth and Gabe Fry started the What-Have-You open mic at Evening Star Cafe (2000 Mount Vernon Avenue) in September 2022, and since then — with the exception of January — have hosted the event from 8:30 to 11 p.m. on the first and third Wednesdays of the month. Next Wednesday’s event has a numbers, acronyms, and abbreviations theme, with musicians asked to perform hits from bands like R.E.M., AC/DC, INXS, and the B-52s, among others.

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Del Ray musician’s new musical to premiere in Bethesda

By James Cullum

Published September 10, 2025 at 7:30PM | Updated September 11, 2025 at 2:38PM

Del Ray musician Neal Learner (via Facebook)

A Del Ray musician will premiere his latest musical next month in Bethesda, Maryland.

Neal Learner’s “French Cupcakes” will be performed Oct 10-12 and 17-19 at the Bethesda Writers’ Center (4508 Walsh Street). The Bethesda Little Theater is producing the play, which features a cast of 15 actors who tell the story of a legendary cafe similar to one in Learner’s college town of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Grammy-nominated New York Polyphony to perform at Virginia Theological Seminary

By James Cullum

Published September 4, 2025 at 2:45PM

Immanuel Chapel at the Virginia Theological Seminary (photo via American Guild of Organists/Facebook)

A Grammy-nominated quartet will perform this month at Virginia Theological Seminary.

The New York Polyphony will sing at a free concert at VTS’s Immanuel Chapel (3737 Seminary Road) at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

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Free music festival in Del Ray to benefit youth outdoor programs

By James Cullum

Published August 17, 2025 at 12:00PM

ScreeWilderness Kids Alexandria Music Festival is on Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square in Del Ray (via Eventbrite)

Get ready to dance, because the third annual Wilderness Kids Alexandria Music Festival is around the corner.

The free family-friendly event will be held Sunday, Sept. 28, from 12 to 5 p.m., at Pat Miller Neighborhood Square (2311 Mount Vernon Avenue). Local bands the MAYSUNS, the Derds (Del Ray Dads), Beachface, and Czars of Leisure will perform, and the fundraising event includes raffles, craft-making, and lawn games.

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Alexandria Choral Society announces 2025-26 season

By James Cullum

Published August 16, 2025 at 9:00AM

The Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic and the Alexandria Choral Society perform their holiday concert at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, Dec. 8, 2024 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Get your tickets now, because the Alexandria Choral Society just announced its 2025-26 season.

It’s the 55th season for the ACS, and the five performances in this year’s program are being held at venues across the city. Season tickets cost $125, and individual event tickets are suggested $30 apiece.

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Southside Community Fest returning to Old Town with free food and entertainment

By James Cullum

Published July 16, 2025 at 3:30PM

The Southside Community Fest is returning for its third year at the Nannie J Lee Memorial Recreation Center, 1108 Jefferson Street, in Old Town (via Instagram)

Not long ago, Bruce Anderson and a handful of his boyhood friends from Alexandria decided to give back with a free community cookout.

The event was a bigger hit than the group anticipated, with hundreds of people showing up to the Nannie J Lee Memorial Recreation Center (1108 Jefferson Street). Now in its third year, the Southside Community Fest features free food, live musical performances, a DJ, special guest speakers, and more.

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Billy Joel’s first publicist, Sandy Gibson, to talk in Del Ray next month

By James Cullum

Published July 16, 2025 at 2:30PM

Former music publicist and producer Sandy Gibson (on left, talking with Bette Midler) will discuss her life in the industry on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at Stardust Vintage & Gift in Del Ray, 1904 Mount Vernon Avenue (courtesy image)

Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Jim Morrison — name a musical icon from the world of rock, soul, and pop, and chances are, Sandy Gibson interviewed them.

Gibson, a longtime Del Ray resident, was also Billy Joel’s first publicist. She was interviewed multiple times for the HBO documentary, Billy Joel: And So It Goes, which premieres on Friday (July 18). Music lovers can also hear Gibson talk about her career on Thursday, August 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Stardust Vintage & Gift (1904 Mount Vernon Avenue) in Del Ray.

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Bands and Brews Bar Crawl returning to Del Ray in August

By James Cullum

Published July 14, 2025 at 4:30PM

Participants of the Bands & Brews Summer Bar Crawl on Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray on Saturday, August 22, 2021. (Via Elijah Walter Griffin, Sr.)

A great end-of-summer event is right around the corner in Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood.

The 5th annual Bands & Brews: Del Ray’s Summer Bar Crawl returns on Saturday, Aug. 16. From 12 to 6:30 p.m., more than 20 venues will host live music throughout the neighborhood. The Del Ray Business Association is expecting up to 2,000 visitors at the event, according to a recent event listing.

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End of an Era: Taylor Swift-themed pop-up bar closing in Del Ray

By James Cullum

Published July 14, 2025 at 3:30PM | Updated July 16, 2025 at 2:02AM

The line for the 'Eras' pop-up bar at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray (courtesy photo)

Attention Swifties: There are only a few weeks left before Eras, the Taylor Swift-themed pop-up bar, closes in Del Ray.

That’s right — no more lines around the block, friendship bracelet-making, or Taylor Swift trivia nights at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue. After more than six months in operation, Eras will close the first weekend in August, owner Bill Blackburn tells ALXnow.

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ALXnow’s top stories this week in Alexandria

By James Cullum

Published July 11, 2025 at 3:45PM

Inova Alexandria Hospital at 4320 Seminary Road (staff photo by James Cullum)

It’s been a busy week in Alexandria! Here’s our recap of the most-read stories.

This week’s top story is on an Inova Alexandria Hospital employee getting fired after allegedly stealing a patient’s credit cards from a room at the hospital and using them at a nearby store.

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10 Questions: Alexandria alt-rockers The MAYSUNS on their musical journey

By James Cullum

Published July 11, 2025 at 1:30PM

The MAYSUNS (Left to right - Gabriel Harr, Max Powell, Beck Moniz and Nathan Argust) relaxing at a mural of musical legends outside St. Elmo's Coffee Pub in Del Ray, July 9, 2025 (staff photo by James Cullum)

Talking to the MAYSUNS outside at St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub in Del Ray feels like you’re sitting in their living room.

Sitting at a table in front of a mural of iconic musicians (Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison), just around the corner from the music school they attended for years, four out of the six bandmates sat with ALXnow to discuss the latest.