Focus Concert Schedule

Focus Inn - Alexandria: Sundays @ 7 PM
Church of the Resurrection 2280 North Beauregard Street Alexandria, Virginia 22311 For Focus info: (703) 380-3151	From I-395 in Northern Virginia, take Seminary Road exit West. Turn right onto Beauregard Street (just past Southern Towers Apartments), turn right at the first stoplight onto Fillmore Ave, and turn right again into church parking lot. MAP (interactive) NOTE: Purchases must be made 24 hours before the show. Please print and bring your PayPal purchase confirmation. Otherwise, just come and pay at the door.


Sunday, May 18, @ 7 PM	Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Advance Purchase Please print and bring your PayPal purchase confirmation.
John Flynn with special guest Spencer Bates
Ticket Magazine places John Flynn "at the near end of a long line of American poets, thinkers and folk artists, . . . all the way up to Kris Kristofferson". Kristofferson himself praises John's songwriting: "The truth is in the details; the gifts are an ear for accurate dialogue, an eye for powerful imagery and anything funny, and a heart open to surprises and the possibilities of moving the emotions." www.johnflynn.net	Spencer was recently named the winner of the 2007 Takoma Park Folk Festival Emerging Artist Showcase Competition. His music spans the genres of Pop, Rock, and Folk. Spencer's latest album, Goodnight Rosebud, from which he performed songs for the TPFF Competition, continues to receive accolades. www.spencerbates.com

Sunday, June 8, @ 7 PM	Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Advance Purchase Please print and bring your PayPal purchase confirmation.
Ellis and Bob Sima
Ellis is an exceptional performer...She performs her music without a safety net. With stirring lyrics and intimate stories she eliminates the usual wall between audience and performer. Everything about Ellis is raw and fresh. –IndyIndie concerts, Indianapolis, IN http://www.ellis-music.com	Bob Sima is a dynamic performer whose grace and power on the stage are as engaging as the songs he writes. His star is rising ever so fast, hire him now before you can't afford him". -Michael Stiles "In concert- Bob goes from pin drop quiet to hand clapping riot! He's is a rare find." www.bobsima.com

Focus Inn - Rockville: Wednesdays @ 8 PM
O'Brien's BBQ 387 East Gude Drive Rockville, Maryland 20850 For Focus info: (301) 275-7459		From the Beltway, Route 270 north to exit 8. Take the right-most lane onto Redland Blvd. Right at 5th traffic light onto south Route 355/North Frederick Road. Left at 3rd traffic light onto East Gude Drive. Right at 2nd traffic light into O'Brien's parking lot. ALT. ROUTE: Take 270 North to Exit 6B. Right at third light onto Research Boulevard. Right at light at W. Gude Drive. Right at 6th light at Calhoun Drive into the parking lot. MAP (interactive) NOTE: Purchases must be made 24 hours before the show. Please print and bring your PayPal purchase confirmation. Otherwise, just come and pay at the door.

Wednesday, May 14 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Advance Purchase Please print and bring your PayPal purchase confirmation
Tom Kimmel with special guest Karyn Oliver
Tom is Best known for his songs, which have been recorded by dozens of major artists and featured in film and television. He is however a unique, critically acclaimed recording and performing artist in his own right. Tours widely, has seven albums, and his music is appreciated around the world. www.tomkimmel.com NEW - sound clip - click HERE		Her array of musical styles ranges from throbbing rock with a faminie tease to pure, silky love songs that will shatter your heart. She displays a vocal versatility in her mix of blues and rock, accompanied by soft emotion. Lindsay Stroh - The Baltimore Examiner www.karynoliver.com

Wednesday, May 28 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Falcon Ridge Preview Tour: with Randall Williams, Joe Crookston and Lindsay Mac
Randall Williams delivers quiet acoustic ballads and stories born from a life of travel, living strong and loving true. His strong voice and rich but mellow guitar speak to the beauty of human warmth and kindness. www.whereisrandall.com	"There is a spirit in his music that is simultaneously sacred, celebratory and solidly grounded in tradition. . . . Go see this man perform, and don't be surprised if you drive home singing his songs with a renewed sense of what's possible." Seattle Folklore Society www.joecrookston.com		"I want to run into the streets and force people to hear this genius girl with her strapped on cello." (Indie-Music.com) "One of the best in emerging folk." (Boston Globe) www.lindsaymac.com

Wednesday, June 11 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Advance Purchase Please print and bring your PayPal purchase confirmation.
Vics Picks: The Kennedys
The story of Pete and Maura Kennedy’s personal and professional relationship, now in its second decade, is somewhere between fate and a fairytale. How else can you explain a chance meeting in Austin between two East Coast-born musicians that immediately sparked a songwriting collaboration, a first date at Buddy Holly’s grave, an enduring romance, and a creative partnership that radiates warmth, positive energy, and captivating music? Within a year, they were touring as part of Nanci Griffith's band & as her opening act. 8 CDs later, they enjoy loyal followings in both the guitar camp & the singer-songwriter set. The Kennedys are comfortable in a variety of styles ranging from roots rock to soulful acoustic pop, and they write books and produce videos when they're not igniting incendiary Gretsch jams, but ultimately it's their chemistry, their love for each other, and their unashamedly idealistic pop vision that has carved them their own niche onstage and in the studio. www.kennedysmusic.com

Wednesday, June 25 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Politics & Humor: Tom Neilson and Carla Ulbrich
"Tom's contemplative and moving critique of the media's manipulation of the news is perceptive, intelligent, and center on. Using a blend of lyrical humor, stark fact, and compelling rhythm, he speaks to all of us who struggle towards truth." - Sarah Underhill, People's Music Network "entertains and informs about contemporary issues and local problems." - Liz Hogan, Smith College http://www.tomneilsonmusic.com/index.php		"She had people rolling in the aisles with her irreverent and self-deprecating humor. She can play and sing fine, but what she does best is write these hilarious little ditties that you have to play over a few times because you were laughing too hard at the last line to understand the next." - Nightflying, Little Rock, AR http://www.carlau.com/about/index.html

Wednesday, July 9 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Allison Downey & John Austin and Sense of Wonder
"Allison Downey is a true poet whose lyrics stand on their own as art. Add to that her polished performance skills and crystal clear vocals and you have one of the best singer-songwriters out there today." - Al Kniola, Host, The Back Porch, 88.1 WVPE Public Radio "Allison and John are the complete package�skilled musicians, engaging storytellers, and songs ranging from thoughtful to flat out hilarious�our audience loved them." - Andy Baker, Northwind House Concerts http://www.allisondowney.com/index2.php		Rick and Audrey Engdahl of Hyattsville, Maryland, headline Sense of Wonder. If Joni Mitchell and Nick Drake fell in love and wrote duets, they might have sounded something like Sense of Wonder. Beautiful harmony, intelligent, playful songwriting, and rich acoustic arrangements. “Open the Gate,” is the debut CD from Sense of Wonder... 15 tracks, described as “a magical balance of intellectuality and innocence.” www.senseofwondermusic.com

Wednesday, July 23 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Amy Speace and The Tearjerks
"Amy Speace has one of those fetching voices, the kind that taps you on the shoulder and motions seductively for you to follow it around corner after dark corner. You don't know where you're going to end up or how you'll ever find your way back, but that doesn't matter right now: you're enjoying the trip." Scott Brodeur, No Depression www.amyspeace.com

Wednesday, August 13 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Big Wide Grin with special guest TBA
The tight-knit, bi-coastal, trio of Elaine Dempsey , L. E. Lambert and Karl Werne, Big Wide Grin to their audience comprises one of the most dynamic and exhilarating acts in the acoustic rock arena. http://bigwidegrin.com/

Wednesday, August 27 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
TBA with special guest Vicky Emerson


Wednesday, September 10 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Vic's Pick: We're About 9 and Rachel Garlin
We're About 9 is a trio that is focused on complex songwriting and big wall-of-sound harmonies. They take turns on lead vocal, all sing on every song, and accompany their voices with thoughtfully conceived acoustic guitar and electric bass. Katie Graybeal, Pat Klink and Brian Gundersdorf exploded on to the folk circuit in 2003 with an unequivocal buzz, a load of festival appearances, and a relentless arsenal of charm, energy and intelligence. www.circanine.com

Wednesday, September 24 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Don Conoscenti
Once a die-hard rocker, Don Conoscenti is one of the most respected musicians and critically acclaimed songwriters in acoustic music. His live performances are a soulful fusion of styles blended from his experience playing rock, jazz, blues, folk, funk and country. But his primary love is the landscape of story telling and songwriting. http://www.donconoscenti.com/

Wednesday, October 8 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Down Under to DC: Iain Campbell Smith & Band with special guest Penelope Swales


Wednesday, October 22 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Vic's Pick: Terri Allard
"Allard's mastered the art of the Americana ballad...she wraps up her emotions in truly attractive acoustic melodies. Allard's most potent weapon is her voice, a sultry combination of sweetness and grit." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch www.terriallard.com

Wednesday, November 12 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
Vic's Pick: John Jennings and Jon Vezner
John Jennings has a solid international reputation as a producer and multi-instrumentalist. A longtime member of Mary Chapin Carpenter's band, with whom he's produced and recorded 11 Top Ten singles and 2 Grammy winning albums, Jennings has also produced recordings for John Gorka, BeauSoleil, John McCutcheon, Robin and Linda Williams, Janis Ian, Catie Curtis, Jen Cass and Bill Morrisey, to name a few. His guitar playing and singing have graced recordings by the likes of Kathy Mattea, Iris Dement, George Jones and indigo girls, not to mention the ever-popular "many others". In 1997, Vanguard Records released his debut solo album, Buddy, followed by I Belong to You in 1998. He independently released It's All Good in 2001, Four in 2005, and More Noise from Nowhere in January, 2007. John was nominated for a Grammy Award as producer for Record of the Year in 1993, and has won numerous Wammie (Washington Area Music Association) Awards over the last 20 years. www.johnejennings.com		"Jon Vezner writes about the 'details,' the details of our hearts and feelings. His gift is in speaking to these ordinary things which connect us to one another, and in recognizing their simple beauty, he transforms them into something extraordinary." -Mary-Chapin Carpenter "Jon Vezner is one of the best songwriters I know. When Thom Schuyler called me one day to ask me if I would write with an unknown writer he thought would 'be someone to reckon with one day,' I didn't know it would also turn into a wonderful friendship." -Janis Ian www.jonvezner.com

Wednesday, November 26 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
TBA


Wednesday, December 10 @ 8 PM		Click here for show flyers, posters and brochures
TBA