More
Post Content

Amy Grant and KT Tunstall headline spring at The Birchmere

It’s spring and the musical lineup at Arlandria’s The Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue) is heating up.

Folk/bluegrass band The Wailin’ Jennys is headlining next month in two — unfortunately already sold out — shows on April 16 and 17.

At the end of April, jaunty 60s pop group Herman’s Hermits is set to perform at The Birchmere. Herman’s Hermits were were one of the leading bands of the British Invasion of the mid-60s.

May also shows promise too, with KT Tunstall and Amy Grant headlining early in the month.

Other shows this month and next include:

And then, in May:

Photo via kttunstall.com

0 Comments

Grammy winners and other stars send in letters supporting The Birchmere’s new electric sign

New sign at The Birchmere (image via City of Alexandria)

Chris Issak, John Waters and Judy Collins are just a few of the dozens of famous artists who petitioned the Alexandria Planning Commission and City Council to approve The Birchmere‘s Special Use Permit request to keep up its flashy new 5-foot-by-2.5-foot digital sign along Mount Vernon Avenue in Arlandria.

The Planning Commission approved the request 7-0 on Tuesday, and it now goes to City Council. Planning Commission Chair Nathan Macek said that the letters with all of the supporting signatures would be “an excellent auction item.”

“Performing artists are now expecting the venues to keep up with the times,” wrote Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins. “It is a necessary tool to promote the artists as well as the venue.”

Some requests were simple, like filmmaker John Waters, who wrote, “I am writing to support the Birchmere’s request to be allowed to keep their new LED sign.”

Chris Isaak wrote: “I wholeheartedly support the Birchmere Music Hall in their effort to retain their beautiful new sign. Please help them out… thank you!”

Gary Oelze, the owner of the music hall, erected the large electric sign last summer without city approval, prompting a request from the city manager’s office to go through an official process. Oelze, who was recently named a Living Legend of Alexandria, died last month.

“I think you know we do have a process in place for digital signs,” Macek said. “This is probably a case where they should have come in advance of putting the sign in.”

The Commission also approved a request to keep the sign lit until midnight, as well as the installation of a smaller sign at the entrance of the venue.

The following artists wrote letters in support of the new sign:

19 Comments

Birchmere brushes up against city zoning ordinance in switch to electric signage

New sign at The Birchmere (image via City of Alexandria)

(Updated 10:10 a.m.) Like Bob Dylan, The Birchmere has switched to electric — at least for its signage. Also like Dylan, it’s a change that’s causing some trouble for the music venue.

It started last summer when famed music venue The Birchmere Music Hall (3701 Mount Vernon Avenue) was finding it difficult to hire someone to change out the letters on the venue’s old sign.

According to a special use permit application:

In July 2022, after having trouble finding people willing to do the manual labor of changing out the sign, trying to think of ways to enhance The Birchmere and attract additional business coming out of a devastating pandemic that severely impacted its revenues, and looking at the modern technology employed by other successful music venues in the region and beyond, the owner of the music venue replaced the changeable copy sign with a digital freestanding sign in the exact same location along Mount Vernon Avenue.

The venue owners built a new sign using the same pole as the original sign, with an additional pole on either side for added stability. The new sign is slightly larger than the previous one and has a new digital display.

Unfortunately for The Birchmere, the change ran afoul of the city’s zoning ordinance.

“Although the sign is constructed using the same sign pole as the original sign and is only slightly larger, the current sign can no longer be approved administratively due to the 2016 revisions to the Zoning Ordinance pertaining to signage requirements,” the special use permit said.

In November, a warning was issued to The Birchmere along with instructions to bring the sign back into compliance.

The venue has since filed an aforementioned special use permit application to waive some of the requirements for the sign.

“This modern sign, which allows for the digital change of copy, is consistent with the use of the Property as a music venue,” the permit application said. “The Birchmere is an iconic venue that has been attracting major artists and their fans to the City of Alexandria, celebrating music and contributing to the City’s tax base, for over forty years.”

The Birchmere argued in the application that the new sign isn’t causing any harm and is vital to the venue’s continued success.

“Given that the old sign and new sign are similar in size, in the same location, and illuminated (albeit through different mechanisms) there will be no negative impact of the new sign on pedestrians, drivers or the surrounding area,” the application said. “Finally, the proposed sign is a critical component of The Birchmere’s continued success as an arts and cultural venue, the value of which has been emphasized in the City’s Master Plans and economic development initiatives.”

The new sign application is scheduled to take the stage at a Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 7.

11 Comments

80’s stars Chris Isaak and Rick Springfield close out Birchmere’s 2022 lineup

Chris Isaak (image via The Birchmere)

The “Wicked Game” and “Jesse’s Girl” stars from the 1980’s are headlining at the Birchmere as the Arlandria music venue winds down its 2022 calendar.

Toward the end of November, Chris Issak is bringing a Christmas Tour to the Birchmere. The $115 show is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 28, and features music from a Christmas album that came out earlier this month.

That Thursday, Rick Springfield is also coming to The Birchmere for a $115 show called “Stripped Down”, described by the venue’s website as an “intimate solo performance of music and storytelling.

Transgressive cult film director John Waters is also returning to The Birchmere for his annual Christmas show: A John Waters Christmas.

Other upcoming shows in November include:

And then, in December:

2 Comment

Halloween event and Shrek musician returning to The Birchmere

Poster for Underworld event at The Birchmere (image via The Birchmere)

The Birchmere’s (3701 Mt Vernon Avenue) annual Halloween event Raven’s Night is scheduled to return next month, along with a slew of other musical acts.

Raven’s Night is returning for its 10th year. The event features belly dancing, live music, a costume contest and a pre-show carnival.

This year’s theme is Underworld, emphasizing demons, witches and wizards. Tickets are $35 and the event is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 29.

Singer, songwriter, and composer Rufus Wainwright is scheduled to perform at The Birchmere at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 12. In addition to writing two operas and setting Shakespeare sonnets to music, Wainwright was also featured in the Shrek soundtrack.

Apparently, a different version of the song was used in the movie vs the soundtrack, but this is an Alexandria news site and not a Shrek news site so that’s as far into that as we’ll go.

The band 10,000 Maniacs was scheduled to perform late in October. but The Birchmere said family and health challenges have led the band to cancel their tour.

Other shows coming up include:

2 Comment

Blue Oyster Cult and Modern English headline late summer at The Birchmere

Blue Oyster Cult tour announcement (image via Blue Oyster Cult/Facebook)

Blue Oyster Cult, a rock band best known for Don’t Fear the Reaper and possibly an SNL parody, is making a return to The Birchmere (3701 Mt Vernon Avenue) next month.

The other major star in September is Modern English, a post-punk band formed in the 1980s.

And then in September:

The full calendar is available at The Birchmere’s website.

Image via Blue Oyster Cult/Facebook

0 Comments

Steve Earle, Lalah Hathaway and more headline summer at Birchmere

Steve Earle and The Dukes, photo via Steve Earle/Facebook

Summer highlights at The Birchmere include rock band America, R&B singer Lalah Hathaway and a suite of country-folk music legends.

July has a certain blues/country flair, with singer-songwriter John Hiatt performing two shows, folk musician A.J. Croce covering the music of his parents — folk musician Jim Croce and his wife and songwriting partner Ingrid Croce, and a show by country-rock musician Steve Earle.

Shows coming up in June include:

Then in July:

The full list of upcoming events at The Birchmere is available online.

Photo via Steve Earle/Facebook

0 Comments

Gordon Lightfoot, Kevin Bacon and more coming to Birchmere

Image via The Bacon Brothers/Facebook

ALXnow has good news and bad news.

The good news — not to step on The Zebra’s beat — is Gordon Lightfoot is coming to The Birchmere (3701 Mt Vernon Avenue). The more on-brand bad news: the show is already sold out.

But there are lots of other shows coming to the Arlandria music venue over the next few months, including a return of Three Dog Night and 80s alt-rock icons 10,000 Maniacs and Aimee Mann.

This spring will also see local karaoke performers Kevin and Michael Bacon return to The Birchmere.

Shows coming up in March include:

Then in April:

The full list of upcoming events at The Birchmere is available online.

Photo via Image via The Bacon Brothers/Facebook

0 Comments

Morning Notes

SROs in hot water over alleged inappropriate sexual messages — “The investigation stems from a recent report by a former student about alleged sexually inappropriate conversations that occurred during her time at the school, according to two people familiar with the inquiry but not authorized to speak about it on the record.” [Washington Post]

Holiday theft down in the city — “According to data collected by the Alexandria Police Department, a total of 56 shoplifting and concealment incidents have been reported for November and December, with a few weeks still left in December. This marks a decrease from 2020, which had 93 cases over the same two months, and 2019, during which 111 cases occurred over the same two months.” [Alexandria Times]

Afghan siblings, wounded in Kabul airport bombing, seek new life in Northern Virginia — “Mina, 8, and her brother Faisal, 13, navigated a tricky route to arrive in Alexandria. Now they must build a new life, while mourning the one they left behind.” [Washington Post]

Over 50 years of an iconic music venue in Alexandria — “Birchmere tell-all book by local writers published in November.” [Alexandria Gazette]

0 Comments

John Waters, Chris Isaak, and more coming to the Birchmere this holiday season

Chris Isaak holiday tour, photo via Chris Isaak/Facebook

Arlandria music venue The Birchmere has a jam-packed schedule for the holiday season, with a few notable big names and old favorites returning.

Coming up later this week is musician Chris Isaak, best known for his 1989 single Wicked Game.

Classic 70s rock band America is coming to the Birchmere next month, though unfortunately the show is already sold out.

Birchmere frequent guest KT Tunstall — whose hits like Black Horse and the Cherry Tree were everywhere around 2006 — is also making a return in December. With a completely different vibe: surrealist filmmaker John Waters is also returning to the Birchmere for his yearly Christmas show.

There are also some fun tribute concerts planned, from a show about rock band Genesis to a tribute to Hank Williams late next month. Read More

0 Comments
View More Stories
×

Subscribe to our mailing list