7:40 AM
Black Cat, DC, DC9, Galaxy Hut, Hill Country, Howard Theatre, Rock'n'Roll Hotel, Strathmore, the Birchmere, The Week In Shows, Tree House Lounge
A beautiful Saturday morning is as good a time as any to plot ones weekly live music schedule, I think. Let's take a look at what's happening in the greater DC metro this week, with the added bonus of filling you in on what I may or may not be taking in over the course of the week. Hot diggity!
Somehow, we're already setting clocks forward this weekend (don't forget, y'all!). I'm ready for things to get a little bit warmer out there, and for the shows to start getting bountiful. As ever, if there's a show I'm thinking of going to this week, it'll be starred. Looks like this is a decent week in the neighborhood.
MONDAY, 3/10/14
-Matt & Laura + Peyote Pilgrim (Galaxy Hut)
-Lil Ed & The Blues Imperials (Hill Country)
-The Moody Blues (Strathmore Music Center)
TUESDAY, 3/11/14
-Wayne Hancock (Hill Country)
-Walk The Plank + Demands + This Is Your Life + Mobius Strip (DC9)
-The Moody Blues (Strathmore Music Center)
WEDNESDAY, 3/12/14
-Moonface + Saltland (Black Cat)
-Com Truise + Phantoms (DC9)
-Skydivers + Stellarscope + Death Valley Rally (Tree House Lounge)
THURSDAY, 3/13/14
-Rips + Soccer Team (Black Cat)
-Bryan Elijah Smith (Hill Country)
-Steve Earle (Birchmere)
-Salt-n-Pepa (Howard Theatre)
FRIDAY, 3/14/14
-Dr. Dog (9:30 Club - SOLD OUT)
SATURDAY, 3/15/14
-Dr. Dog (9:30 Club)
-The Deadmen + The Lawsuits (Rock & Roll Hotel)
SUNDAY, 3/16/14
-Ellie Goulding (Echo Stage - SOLD OUT)
-Sons Of The Radio + Fight The Quiet + Silhouette Cities + Matt Tarka (Tree House Lounge)
-The Mostly Dead + The Creep Crusades + B.S.R. + ISH (DC9)
[posted 3.8.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Dame Blanche
WHAT: Taking Happiness
WHEN: January 2013
WHERE: Self-released
WHY: There’s a little swagger to the sound of Dame Blanche, a little extra swing in their collective step, and I’d have to say it’s warranted. After all, it’s a collection of wonderful kooky spookiness they’ve put forth. Each song on Taking Happiness is noisy, languidly lo-fi and fuzzed out to the max, and emits a most satisfying, somewhat shambolic scuzzy racket. At times a bit of mad, funhouse organ cuts through, adding a certain wacky quality to the music of these mysterious French folks that I find totally irresistible.
MY JAMS: All seven of them.
[posted 3.8.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: CHVRCHES
WHAT: Recover EP
WHEN: March 2013
WHERE: Glassnote
WHY: The first of two appearances on my list by Scots darlings CHVRCHES, the Recover EP is here primarily on the strength of the back-to-back fantasticness of “ZVVL” and “Now Is Not The Time.” The former harnesses the gorgeously gloomy, intensely powerful side of CHVRCHES’ synthy shenanigans, while the latter expresses a somewhat softer restraint, opting primarily for girl vocals where “ZVVL” is given the masculine touch. They’re as good as each other, which to my mind is ridiculously good indeed. A welcome appetizer for their sensational LP.
MY JAMS: “ZVVL” “Now Is Not The Time”
[posted 3.8.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason of another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Tape Waves
WHAT: Tape Waves EP
WHEN: July 2013
WHERE: Box Bedroom Rebels
WHY: Hailing from the historically-rich city of Charleston, South Carolina, Tape Waves makes music that is decidedly lovely, much like their stomping grounds. Falling somewhere between the effervescent Kiwi jangle of bands like The Clean and the breathily sweet dreamy shimmy of Fuzzy favorites Eternal Summers, this four-song EP is a delightful kiss of summer, a promise of good times to come. Kim Hart and Jarod Weldin are definitely a pair to watch.
MY JAMS: All of ‘em!
[posted 3.8.14]
2:30 PM
6th and I Synagogue, 9:30 Club, Black Cat, DC, DC9, Kennedy Center, Paperhaus, Rock'n'Roll Hotel, the Birchmere, The Dunes, The Week In Shows, Tree House Lounge, U Street Music Hall, Velvet Lounge
Another afternoon before another stupid snowfall is as good a time as any to plot ones weekly live music schedule, I think. Let's take a look at what's happening in the greater DC metro this week, with the added bonus of filling you in on what I may or may not be taking in over the course of the week. Hot diggity!
I don't know about y'all, but I'm kinda sick of being kinda sick of the weather. We're battening down hatches for more snow, and this is before the entirety of that other obnoxious snowfall is out of sight. So take this week's schedule with a grain of salt (or snow melt), because Mama Nature just doesn't wanna play nice. Below you'll find some recommendations for your calendar for the coming week, and you just might see me out and about, at anything that's starred. Let's see what the first full week of March has to offer (besides shitty weather, that is).
MONDAY, 3/3/14
-Weekend + Nothing + Lorelei (Black Cat)**
-Yellow Ostrich + Pattern Is Movement (DC9)
-Pree + White Gold + Raccoon Fighter + Pleasure Curses (The Dunes)
-The Men + Ukiah Drag + Dead Women + No Evils (Rock & Roll Hotel)
-Ski Lodge + The Belle Game + Starlight Girls (6th & I)
TUESDAY, 3/4/14
-Landlady (Kennedy Center Millennium Stage)
-Public Service Broadcasting + Harness Flux (Black Cat)
-J. Roddy Walston & The Business + The So So Glos (U Street Music Hall)
-Miniature Tigers + Bear Hands + Total Slacker (DC9)
WEDNESDAY, 3/5/14
-Ex Hex + Foul Swoops (Black Cat)
-Hawk & Dove + The Baby Grand + Stereoriots (Velvet Lounge)
-Zappa Plays Zappa (Birchmere)
THURSDAY, 3/6/14
-Speedy Ortiz + Pile + The Big Ups (Black Cat)
-Small Black + Oberhofer (Rock & Roll Hotel)
-Cheetahs + Eternal Summers (U Street Music Hall)
FRIDAY, 3/7/14
-We Were Promised Jetpacks + Honeyblood (Black Cat)
-East Ghost + Playground Etiquette + Black Checker (Velvet Lounge)
-Young Rapids + Zula + Friend Roulette + Joe Degeorge (Paperhaus)
SATURDAY, 3/8/14
-England In 1819 + The Walking Sticks (DC9)
-You Monster + Dads + The NRIs + Green River Junction (Rock & Roll Hotel)
-Cuddle Magic + Sam McCormally (Tree House Lounge)
SUNDAY, 3/9/14
-Broken Bells + Au Revoir Simone (9:30 Club - SOLD OUT)
[posted 3.2.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Day Ravies
WHAT: Tussle
WHEN: October 2013
WHERE: Popfrenzy
WHY: From a nomenclature standpoint, it was love at first sight. Sonically, it took me approximately fifty-four seconds to fall in love with Aussies Day Ravies. Tussle is a fantastic record, tying wispy wafts of shoegaze with some gritty but pretty pop moments, with some songs like “Pinky” and “Jasmine” going more in for straight on fuzzy rock and roll, given the sweetest of edges with some candy-coated girl vocals. There’s some songs here that could be straight out of a John Hughes flick (“Steeple Walk,” “I Don’t Mind,” “Picking Up”), and disarming precociousness abounds, even in the most raucous explosions. A truly delightful little LP.
MY JAMS: “Leaky Tin” “Pinky” “Jasmine” “Steeple Walk” “I Don’t Mind” “Reality School” “Staring Is Caring” “Picking Up”
[posted 3.2.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Surf City
WHAT: We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This
WHEN: September 2013
WHERE: Fire Records
WHY: O, Surf City, why must you be so addictive? Another band of New Zealanders I just can’t get enough of, Surf City tempers their jaggedly fuzzy, rocky beach jangle with coos and lively, vibrant energy. The spirit of vintage Flying Nun is strong within them, friends. Prismatic washes of fuzz, vocals ever so slightly off-key, and an irrepressible charm make We Knew It Was Not Going To Be Like This a splendid listen.
MY JAMS: “It’s A Common Life” “Song From A Short-Lived TV Series” “NYC” “No Place To Go” “I Want You”
[posted 3.2.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Clinic
WHAT: Free Reign II
WHEN: March 2013
WHERE: Domino
WHY: The men, the myth, the masks. When it comes to kooky, you can’t do much better than Clinic. They’ve done it record after record, cleverly reworking their sound but always retaining that certain eccentricity that could only belong to them. Free Reign II is diabolically, masterfully weird, an upside-down, inside-out fun house of sonic tomfoolery. Throbbing beats and some knob-twiddling fit in well with the usual aural oddities running rampant. Clinic proves once again that Liverpool is more than just mop tops with matching suits; It’s also surgical masks and matching scrubs.
MY JAMS: “You II” “King Kong II” “Miss You II” “Seamless Boogie Woogie, BBC2 10pm (rpt) II” “See Saw II” “Done And Dusted II”
[posted 2.25.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Lorde
WHAT: Pure Heroine
WHEN: September 2013
WHERE: Lava/Republic/Universal
WHY: While I can’t remember what I was getting up to when I was a teenager, I can tell you I certainly wasn’t writing killer songs. But that’s just what the Kiwi phenom has done with Pure Heroine, and like pretty much every other blogger out there I’m all sorts of impressed. Her matter-of-fact, blunt but honeyed vocals hold nothing back, coming across both exposed and incredibly self-possessed and even powerful. Her lyrics are incredibly careful and aware, and pair perfectly with the beats in each song. While only time will tell in terms of staying power, this is a pretty prodigious effort for such a young artist. Dang, y’all. This girl just gets it.
MY JAMS: “400 Lux” “Royals” “Ribs” “Glory And Gore” “Still Sane” “A World Alone”
[posted 2.25.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Veronica Falls
WHAT: Waiting For Something To Happen
WHEN: February 2013
WHERE: Slumberland
WHY: I simply adored their self-titled LP, and was impatiently awaiting the follow-up. It took a couple years, but with Waiting For Something To Happen, Veronica Falls did quite well staving off the notorious sophomore slump, showing instead growth and added depth to their already mighty fine sound. Still dynamic, their songs are a bit lighter (just a touch) and a bit more mature, but no less appealing. Mind you, listening to this record still makes me imagine a gray, misty day along the English coast, but perhaps now a ray or two of sunshine peeks through the gloom. Extra love to the Lush-meets-Belle & Sebastian-meets-New Order wonderfulness of “If You Still Want Me,” my favorite song on the record.
MY JAMS: “Broken Toy” “If You Still Want Me” “My Heart Beats” “Daniel” “Last Conversation”
[posted 2.25.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Gringo Star
WHAT: Floating Out To See
WHEN: October 2013
WHERE: My Anxious Mouth
WHY: Mix bands like The Kinks and The La-De-Das with a little puff of psychedelia and some good old raucous, rakish Southern charm, and you end up with those irrepressible Atlantans Gringo Star. Latest effort Floating Out To See is another collection of fun, shimmy-worthy nuggets full of good times. I must issue a warning, though, several of these songs are likely to get stuck in your head, so be prepared to find yourself humming “Find A Love” or “Going Way Out” without even realizing it.
MY JAMS: “Find A Love” “Going Way Out” “Taller” “100 Miles” “The Start”
[posted 2.25.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Running
WHAT: Vaguely Ethnic
WHEN: August 2013
WHERE: Castle Face
WHY: Sometimes you just need a little Running in your life. They snarl, they riff, they rage. With no-nonsense, crushing ferocity, Running’s Vaguely Ethnic gleefully melts eardrums hither and thither and back again. There’s plenty of substance to this record, in addition to all of that beautiful noise (though there’s plenty of that to be had). It’s one of those records that might just give you the distinct pleasure of feeling both like a badass and a music snob listening to. An album to be played frequently, and at maximum volume, glares from neighbors notwithstanding.
MY JAMS: “Thanks For The Input” “Wanna Weekend” “Why Can’t You Be In Running “Controversial PR” “Raven’s Ca$h” “Employment Vow”
[posted 2.25.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: Jagwar Ma
WHAT: Howlin
WHEN: August 2013
WHERE: Mom & Pop Music
WHY: Deliciously out there, fantastically phantasmagorical, and intriguingly obtuse. And that’s only just scratching the surface of Jagwar Ma’s Howlin. Full of beaty, kooky psychedelic tropicalia blues, Howlin is a veritable feast of sound. Some songs might have been played during the Madchester glory days of the Hacienda (“Uncertainty,” in particular), while others (ok, most of them) are pure psych-coated hodgepodges, occasionally peppered with extra beats or 60s girl group shimmy for good measure (see: “That Loneliness”). A heck of a listen by these Aussies, and very much recommended.
MY JAMS: “The Throw” “That Loneliness” “Come Save Me” “Let Her Go” “Man I Need”
[posted 2.25.14]
When it comes to year-end lists, y'all know I don't mess around. I don't post my picks from the previous year for weeks after the next year has started. In 2013 there was a bounty of music that entered the world that made me deliriously happy to be blessed with the sense of sound. So I have pondered, marinated, and contemplated for weeks. Music from 2013 has been digested for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and yes, even dessert). And now, friends, it's time. Time to share with you what I consider the cream of one heck of a crop indeed. You might see things omitted here that you think should be on a Best Of list. This list isn't what I think you want to read. This list is what I feel about last year. These are records and songs that really mattered to me for one reason or another. If it's not here, I either didn't spend enough time with it or just didn't love it quite enough. A big, big thank you to all of the artists who created the music on this list, the music that I fell in love with last year.
WHO: GEMS
WHAT: Medusa EP
WHEN: November 2013
WHERE: Never Age
WHY: Cliff Usher and Lindsay Pitts have been on my radar since their Birdlips days. Years later, settled in the DC area and reinvented as GEMS, the pair has come a long way since their Birdlips days. The Medusa EP sees them trying their collective hand at slinky, sophisticated silks of dream pop songs, and not surprisingly they’re quite good at it. While the entire EP is a treasure, title track “Medusa” and “Sinking Stone” are worthy of extra special notice, and the hypnotic, molasses heavy undulations combined with Lindsay’s ethereal, wistful chanteuse vocals turned them into two of my favorite jams of the entire year. I’m expecting big things from them in 2014.
MY JAMS: “Medusa” “Sinking Stone”
[posted 2.25.14]
