best bets
Our picks for the best things to see and do in March and April By Stephanie Siegel Burke
March 19
SHINE ON Shara Worden is an avant-garde indie-pop singer-songwriter who performs as My Brightest Diamond. That’s a long but fitting description for this classically trained performer who has written an opera, led a marching band and played with musicians including David Byrne, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, The National and Bon Iver. She returns to rock and electronic music with her latest album, This Is My Hand. 8 p.m., Amp by Strathmore, $25-$35, www. ampbystrathmore.com
March 10
THE LEGEND OF JESSIE JAMES
March 4
SING A SONG The Bernard/Ebb Songwriting Awards are a bit like Bethesda’s version of American Idol. Songwriters from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C., enter original songs into the competition for a chance to win $10,000. In the first round, a jury of 10 music professionals, including Strathmore CEO Eliot Pfanstiehl, D.C. Jazz Festival Executive Director Sunny Sumter and Gypsy Sally’s owner David Ensor, narrowed the field down to nine top performers. The finalists perform their songs live for a three-judge grand prize jury, which will name the winner for best songwriter and best young songwriter (under 18). 8 p.m., Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, $10-$15, www.bethesda.org
March 18-19
COMFORT & COMPANY In this world premiere at Rockville’s American Dance Institute, choreographer Jane Comfort bases her newest work on the idea that a city is a stage and everyone is involved in a dance as they move through life. As dancers progress through the “crowd,” they perform solos and duets before being swept back into the throng. To convey an urban environment, 20 community members will join dancers onstage in the last scene. 8 p.m., American Dance Institute, $30, www.ameri candance.org
Jessie James Decker is a busy lady. She’s a country singer and reality-TV star, not to mention a fashion designer for the clothing line Kittenish and a mom of two toddlers. Inspired by singers such as Jessica Simpson and Shania Twain, Decker’s 2015 single “Lights Down Low” hit No. 1 for top country songs on iTunes when it was released last summer. Decker, who stars with her husband, New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker, on the E! television show Eric & Jessie: Game On, is packing up her family and hitting the road for a tour this spring, including a stop at the Fillmore. 8 p.m., Fillmore Silver Spring, $20, www.fillmoresilverspring.com
my brightest diamond photo courtesy of asthmatic kit ty records; photo courtesy of Jessie james decker; comfort & Company photo courtesy of American dance institute
good life
46 march/april 2016 | BethesdaMagazine.com
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