Hemlines at Fort Reno

I hit up as many of the free Fort Reno concerts as I could this July since it's all of 4 blocks away from where I live. I liked most of the bands, at least live. But the band that stood out the most, and who I'm most likely to make an effort to see again, was Hemlines.

A mostly-girl local punk group, their performance was edgy but between songs they were delightfully down-to-earth. And they rocked out hardcore. Lead singer Katie has one of the best screams I've ever heard, and she's a very charismatic frontwoman. And I have to give props to bass player Dana for having kickass hair with which she used in the best rock 'n' roll ways.

Check 'em out, and go support local music! (though they don't seem to have much trouble attracting an audience)

Miracles of Modern Science at Comet Ping Pong

On Thursday night, I took a break from AFI Docs and wandered over to Comet Ping Pong to catch Brooklyn orchestral pop group Miracles of Modern Science (aka MOMS). It was a really nice show and I loved the intimacy of Comet Ping Pong as a venue - it totally reminded me of seeing them at intimate venues like Union Hall in Brooklyn.

The band that played before MOMS, Honest Haloway, was a pleasant surprise. They're a DC band! (hark! a DC band I like!) I hadn't checked them out prior to the show and I really enjoyed their set. It was a very danceable mix of electronic and rock (dream pop? shoegaze? I can't keep track of all the dreamy, retro, lo-fi, electronic rock genres anymore!)

MOMS was fabulous. The very first song was a blast from the past for me. They played an old favorite of mine called "Eating Me Alive" that contains what might be one of the best song lyrics of all time ("when I asked my heart, my spleen replied.") They played a lot of new stuff, as well. Their newer music is definitely less comedic for the most part but they don't seem like they're taking themselves too seriously either, which is always refreshing. And boy, it's quite a talented group of string instrumentalists in the group. I love their whimsical string arrangements. They have dates remaining in Chicago, Columbus and Pittsburgh, so go check them out if you're in/near those towns!

DsCene: Lightwaves

A photo posted by @lightwavesmusic on May 28, 2015 at 6:53pm PDT

Last night I went to the Getaround DC launch party (Getaround is a car-sharing service where you can list your own car if you don't use it a ton and make money from other people renting it! My car is listed, is yours? Getaround is currently available in San Francisco, Portland, and DC)

They had some pretty great music lined up and I had a blast. In particular I wanted to highlight a local band, since I don't have the opportunity to do that all that often here in DC.

Lightwaves was there DJing and they did an awesome job - I totally danced my ass off. So I checked them out after and they seem like they might put on a good live show too! They sound like they fell straight out of the '80s but with vocals like a late 90s emo-rock band (a la Something Corporate or Dashboard Confessional). But since the 80s is basically the best decade for danceable music, I'm going to bet their live show is just as easy to dance to as their DJ set was. Check 'em out if you have the chance!

Sweetlife Festival

Wow. What a day. Emma, Mike and I arrive at the Merriweather Post Pavilion just as U.S. Royalty begins to perform. Hailing from DC, they have quite a stage presence. The lead singer wore some sort of fur shirt and another member wore red, white and blue striped pants. It felt very 1970's rock and roll. They have a nice style of blues rock. Their album just came out in January and they've gotten press in NPR, Spin, the Washington Post and others.

Second may very well have been the highlight of my day. Walk the Moon came out and tore it up! I am a bit partial though, I'll admit. Walk the Moon comes from Cincinnati where I am also from. I've been following these guys since summer 2008 so it's surreal to see them play a festival with the Strokes, Girl Talk, Cold War Kids, etc. A paper plate of face paint was passed throughout the audience as fans painted their faces a la the "Anna Sun" music video. Walk the Moon is a group that goes out on stage and has the best time ever. Not only is it apparent, it's contagious. Their songs are catchy and fun to sing along with. It's not long before everyone is singing, dancing and jumping. And the rest of the day, I had "my baby is a mess, my baby is a dancing queen" stuck in my head.

Ra Ra Riot was another highlight. This was the first time I saw them live and I'm afraid I've developed a band crush. As a violinist myself, I have a soft spot for any band with orchestral instruments. Lucky for Ra Ra Riot, they have both a violinist (with sparkles on the side of her violin!) and a cellist. They have a similar sound to the Arcade Fire although much more fast and upbeat. They too have catchy rhythms that I find myself singing along with.

Minus the rain, the rest of the festival was amazing. The Girl Talk set felt like a dance party with literally everyone you've ever known. Part of the theme of the festival was environmentally-friendly living. Organic samples were found at some of the tents and there were bikes for folks to test out in between songs. The only complaint we had was in regards to the venue, set up like a standard outdoor venue with a pit, the pavilion seating and the lawn. However since it was a festival, there was no assigned seating. Naturally, everyone wanted to be up front in the pit. However I suppose according to Merriweather rules, only a certain number of people were allowed in the pit at one time. So groups were getting split up, people were hopping fences and getting mad at the employees. Outdoor festivals seem to work the best in a park or a big, open field where these sorts of complications don't arise. Oh well ... perhaps the next Sweetlife Festival.

Local talent at Bloombars

Tonight was my first of hopefully many visits to Bloombars (great non-profit arts venue in the Columbia Heights neighborhood). The purpose of the excursion: to see the wonderful DC talent that is Ugly Purple Sweater. This wasn't my first time seeing them play. I heard them last fall/early winter and throughly enjoyed it.

They have a nice folky and soulful sound to their music. From the banjo to the keyboard to even whistling, their music stays fresh with a variety of sounds. The song "Jumbo Slice" is a perfect example of this variety. The crowd definitely got dancing and a singing as they played this song. They have this sort of traveling sound to their music ... the kind of music you play as you roll down your windows on a nice summer day.

Ugly Purple Sweater played the show with Pearl and the Beard and Kingsley Flood. They have one album out, entitled "You are alone but you are not alone," and are in the middle of working on a second. The show featured a mixture of songs from both albums.

Upcoming shows:

April 30, Brooklyn, NY, The Rock Shop, 8 p.m.

http://www.myspace.com/uglypurplesweater

http://uglypurplesweater.bandcamp.com/

http://www.uglypurplesweater.blogspot.com/

DsCene: Walk the Moon show!

"How much does the paint cost?" asked various people at DC9 last night.

"Cost?" replied Nic Petricca, the lead singer of Walk the Moon. "It's free of course!"

Many attendants at their show last night adorned their faces with the multiple paint options provided by Walk the Moon (a-la their music video for "Anna Sun"). This act sums up Walk the Moon ... a band that just wants their audience to have a good time and express themselves however they see fit.

The four-member band hails from Cincinnati, Ohio. They have released two full-length albums. They have a fun pop-rock sound that gets the entire crowd dancing. And I really mean the ENTIRE crowd. Old-time favorites such as "I want! I want" and "Jenny" were played as well as new songs (including a nameless one. They're taking suggestions if you're interested).

The band was just featured on "Last Call with Carson Daly." They also played at South by Southwest back in March. Basically these guys are doing lots of good work! And don't worry DC, they're coming back for the Sweet Life Festival in early May along with Girl Talk, the Strokes, Lupe Fiasco, the Cold War Kids and many others.

Upcoming shows:

April 14, Cincinnati, OH, Tunes & Blooms @ the Cincinnati Zoo

April 15, Tiffin, OH, Heidelberg University

April 27, Louisville, KY, WFPK Waterfront

April 28, Cincinnati, OH, 20th Century Theatre

May 1, Columbia, MD, Merriweather Post Pavilion (Sweet Life Festival)

May 9, London, UK, Notting Hill Arts Club

May 10, London, UK, Notting Hill Arts Centre

May 11, London, UK, The Old Queens Head

May 14, Southhampton, UK, Unit

http://www.myspace.com/walkthemoonband

http://walkthemoon.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/walkthemoon

http://twitter.com/walkthemoonband