Viva

Viva plays guitar like a flaming sword, a screaming train and a ringing bell, which gives you a pretty good idea of what you're in for. The D.C. guitarist and songwriter brings her power trio, with Boom Boom Brooks on drums and Mary Feaster on bass, to Millennium Stage for a free set built around the kind of muscular, groove-heavy rock that benefits from being heard live. The trio's deep-pocket rhythm section gives Viva plenty of room to push her guitar into stranger, noisier territory, while her sharp songwriting keeps the performance from becoming pure sonic excess. Millennium Stage is a particularly good fit for an artist this idiosyncratic: no ticket price, no fuss, just a chance to catch a distinctive local musician in a room designed for discovery. If your Thursday evening is still open, this is a worthwhile detour.