The Writer’s Center’s Story/Stereo series, our favorite free live-music program not set in the summer months, will begin its second season Sept. 3 with a performance from John Davis, the former Q and Not U and Georgie James member and current Title Tracks leader. And he’ll be playing songs from all three groups. It’s the same approach J. Robbins (Jawbox, Channels, Office of Future Plans) took for his Story/Stereo performance in February—-which, as the video we shot shows, turned out to be something pretty special.

Of course, the Sept. 3 Story/Stereo with Davis will also include readings—-in this case, from author Aryn Kyle and poet Allison Benis White. The series is curated by Beauty Pill‘s Chad Clark and The Caribbean‘s Matthew Byers, and netted a National Endowment for the Arts grant last month. When we wrote about it, Clark told Arts Desk that Story/Stereo makes for a great date. True that, but you should probably offer your guest a disclaimer: These days, Davis is all about break-up songs.

The event takes place at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3 at the Writer’s Center, 4508 Walsh St., Bethesda. Free.