Saturday: Award-Winning Guitarist to Headline Del Ray Music Festival

PHOTO: Award-winning guitarist Anthony Pirog will headline this year's Del Ray Music Festival. Photo by Shervin Lainez; click on images, map to enlarge; art courtesy of Del Ray Music Festival

____________

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The ninth annual Del Ray Music Festival is set for Saturday, July 23 from 3-8 p.m. Local musicians will perform on two stages at the Pat Miller Neighborhood Square, located at the intersection of Mount Vernon Avenue and Oxford Avenue in the heart of Del Ray.

Headlining this year's festival is award-winning guitarist Anthony Pirog, a recipient of the Washington Area Music Association's Best Modern Rock Instrumentalist award. In an interview with Guitar Moderne, Andy Summers, the guitarist of The Police, recently said Pirog is "one of my favorites at the moment." The Washington Post has praised Pirog for his “fusion of talent and creativity," while Guitar Player Magazine named him one of the “Rising Artists You Must Hear."

New this year, Mount Vernon Avenue will be closed to traffic for the three blocks adjacent to the stage, and seven of Del Ray's top restaurants will host pop-up beer gardens -- a first for an outdoor street festival in the City of Alexandria. "The Del Ray Community is excited about this signature event, we hope to show once again that Del Ray is the best neighborhood for fun in Alexandria," said Del Ray Business Association President Bill Blackburn.

The main stage lineup:

• 3 p.m.: Jack Kilby & The Front Line
• 3:45 p.m.: Noise In The Basement
• 4:15 p.m.: Elroy Jenkins
• 5 p.m.: Geno & The Spirit of Jazz
• 5:30 p.m.: Wanted Man
• 6:15 p.m.: Near Northeast
• 6:45 p.m.: Anthony Pirog

Held each summer, the Del Ray Music Festival celebrates the diverse, local talent in the Washington, DC area music scene. The event is free and open to all. For more information, visit www.delraymusicfestival.com.