There's tons of live music around. Good venues include 930 club, the Black Cat, Echostage, the Fillmore, and, near you, Birchmere and Jammin Java. But there's a long tradition of basement shows, shows in restaurants and store fronts, church basements, and plenty of bar gigs. Nova leans country/folk/Americana whereas DC and MD bring in a broader array of touring acts with lots of hip hop, gogo, jazz and indie thrown in.