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Best Retro Bands In Baltimore

When it comes to music, people prefer to listen to tunes that speak to the soul and evoke memories. If you long for the days before Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Kesha, Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj, take a trip down memory lane with these local bands who keep your favorite musical artists and songs alive.

elvis-presly
Photo By: AFP/Getty Images

The Retro Rockets

Holiday Park Senior Center
3950 Ferrara Drive
Wheaton, Md. 20906
(240) 777-4999
Band: (301) 596-2017
retro-rockets.net
Hours: Nov. 2 1:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
Price: $5

Put on a poodle skirt and get ready to hear a blast from the past. This talented, six-member band complete with keyboard and jazzy saxophone players, takes you back to the good old days playing country, blues and classic rock tunes from the 1940s through the 1970s. The Retro Rockets perform at various public functions throughout Maryland and Washington, D.C., from fairs to fundraisers, as well as private parties and corporate events. The band often plays at Holiday Park, the largest senior center in the area, which opens its doors once again for the band to perform for a crowd that's young at heart. Those who attend can sing along to Elvis, The Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Lewis and The Rolling Stones. Don't forget to partake in the light refreshments served during the break as dancers can get quite enthusiastic when the band plays "The Hand Jive."

Related: Best Retro Bars With Games In Baltimore

aretha-franklin
Photo By: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for The Fox Theatre

The Motorettes

The Ottobar
2549 North Howard St.
Baltimore, Md. 21218
(410) 662-0069

Band: (410) 804-5976
www.themotorettesbaltimore.com
Hours: Dec. 15 8 p.m.
Click here for prices.

Move over fellas, this female-fronted band brings the soul of music from the '50s and '60s. To say it's entertaining is an understatement as The Motorettes will keep you on your feet with songs from Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Marvin Gay, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Temptations all night long. The seven-piece band formed in 2006 includes keyboard, saxophone and trumpet players. It will soon appear at the hip Ottobar in Charles Village, which is consistently among the best music venue in Baltimore and has been visited by popular artists including Maroon 5, Coheed and Cambria, and Bouncing Souls. This particular performance is for the Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission benefit, but you may book The Motorettes for your next party and keep an eye out for its performances at local festivals as well as other charities.

michael-jackson
Photo By: Phil Walter/Getty Images

The Reagan Years

Looney's Pub
8180 Maple Lawn Blvd.
Fulton, Md. 21014
(301) 617-3593
Band:(301) 717-7653
www.thereaganyears.com
Hours: Nov. 24 10 p.m.
Price: Free

Perhaps the decade of Madonna and Michael Jackson is more your style. The band that has shared the stage with Uncle Kracker and The Violent Femmes brings you popular '80s music from David Bowie to Blondie to Bon Jovi. The Reagan Years has played at a number of impressive local venues, such as Power Plant Live and the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, and at many events including the Maryland Seafood festival and Columbia's Wine in the Woods. Listen to Prince, Billy Idol and Guns N' Roses to celebrate the '80s before catching The Reagan Years at Looney's Pub South in Fulton Nov. 24 or at the north location in Bel Air Nov. 23. It will return to the Fulton location for a New Year's Eve celebration.

Related: Best Country Music Spots In Baltimore

eminem
Photo By: Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy

Sam Brewer

Hightopps Backstage Grille
2306 York Road
Timonium, Md. 21093
(410) 560-7101
Musician: (937) 728-1809
www.hightoppsbackstagegrille.com
Dates: Nov. 4 and 18; Dec. 6 and 20
Hours: 4 p.m. or 9 p.m.
Price: Free

Bringing listeners into the past 20 years, Sam Brewer specializes in the 1990s and 2000s with acoustic, rock, country, pop and folk genres, in addition to original songs that show a lot of heart. Brewer covers a wide range of popular music from Eminem to Garth Brooks, but also sings a broad spectrum of oldies as well. Catch him at Hightopps Backstage Grille -- Baltimore county's largest deck with no cover charge-- for a fun experience.

Pam Smith graduated from Penn State with a B.A. in English and a passion for writing. Her adaptive nature led her to work in the scientific, energy supply and business industries while writing on a multitude of topics for various online media. Pam currently resides in Baltimore County. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.

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