“I woke up and said, I can do this,” Onyx Linthicum reports of the morning he conceived the Southern Maryland Wine, Jazz, Rhythm & Blues and Funk Festival.      The D.C. native and self-help writer imagined a country event where folks could get their groove on while diverse local and national artists brought cool music to offset the August heat.

Sarah Petska says every year that it’s her last. And every year her friends remind her that she said that the year before. Yet here she is again, prepping hard for the 16th Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival.     “I literally work up until the Monday after the festival, when the stages are finally gone. I guess I must really love it because I keep coming back.”

The capital city music scene is thriving. Over the last decade, the downtown bar scene and plentiful local venues have bred musicians now flourishing on a larger scale. Reggae rockers Joey Harkum — whose band Pasa­dena honors his home town — and Brandon Hardesty — who inspired Bumpin Uglies — went from strumming on the docks and breaking into open mikes to selling out local venues and touring coast to coast. They’ve headlined festivals like Silopanna and Bay Funk and still play weeknight solo acoustic gigs at downtown Annapolis bars.

It’s the perfect summer evening: snow-white sand in your toes, waiters ready to put a drink in your hand, wind tickling the palms and a great band jamming out in front of you.

Trace your Maryland roots and you’re likely to end up in Ireland. That’s where musician Peter Brice finds both his roots and his gig. The great-something-nephew of 18th century governor James Brice — builder of the historic Brice House in Annapolis — the younger Brice wants to entertain you with true Irish music.     If you think you know Irish music, take a second listen, Brice advises.

There may be nothing quite as rousing as men in kilts wailing away on bagpipes — at least to Eddie McGowan.     A group of bagpipers walked into a bar, and he was smitten. “I knew I had to learn how to play,” says McGowan, whose appreciation of all things Celtic has grown into the Annapolis Irish Festival.     Back in 2010, McGowan talked a few bands into coming to Annapolis for a weekend of music.

Summer brings local favorites and nationally known artists to Chesapeake Country for open-air concerts.     Hear music al fresco almost every night of summer at Chesapeake Beach Resort, with concerts ranging from $5 for local bands to $39 for Martha and the Vandellas June 10. The acts play under the half-shell bandstand. Food and drink sold separately.

It’s getting closer. The warm nights of spring and summer are just around the corner with Calvert Marine Museum’s announcement of its first two outdoor concerts.     Fast forward to Saturday, May 23, when Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Heart warm up the Waterside Pavilion. Heart sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have wooed fans and topped charts since the 1970s with hits like Barracuda, These Dreams and 2012’s Red Velvet Car. Tickets go on sale March 24.

The Anne Arundel County Battle of the Bands means music, which is serious business for Annapolis area youth.     For one Saturday in January — January 25 this year — young music lovers converge to show off their skills in a professional environment, witness their peers’ latest creative efforts and meet fellow music enthusiasts. The top bands of each Anne Arundel County high school play off in the heavily anticipated competition. There are first-, second- and third-place winners — and lots of happy teenagers.

Rock n’ Roll Hall of Famers, punk rockers and American legends Blondie perform their hits at Calvert Marine Museum’s PNC Waterside Pavilion on Sept. 30.     The 40-year-old pioneering punk rock band is named for its leading lady and singer, 67-year-old Debbie Harry.