While November was full of great concerts for me like Josh Radin, Damien Jurado, T/N/A/F, Ingrid Michaelson, Girls Guns and Glory, and Starfucker, December is going to be a relatively chill month for live music. (But don't sleep on the new Album releases, like the Hamilton Mixtape and Childish Gambino's Awaken, My Love!)
So, for now, I've only got one show planned for this month, but it's going to be an awesome one.
The Old 97s have been around for nearly 25 years now, and they're just as great as ever. They're forefathers of the alt-country movement and have shaped the sorts of country adjacent music that I listen to, and, while there are songs that are still jockeying for this position (and no women jockeying for the position that I know of), "Question" is one of those "man, this would be a great first dance for a wedding" songs out there. "Timebomb" is a consummate classic, and it would be fair to say that a not insignificant portion of my musical tastes and thoughts have been shaped by Rhett Miller, both as a part of the Old 97s and as a solo act.
It's been a while since I've been to the 9:30 Club, but you can't miss Starfucker, right?
Psychic Twin
The first opener was a duet called Psychic Twin who had great energy, great beats, and just a fun vibe. They were only on stage for 20 minutes, but they were 20 awesome minutes where I didn't sit down!
Gigamesh
Gigamesh had some interesting beats and great song samples, all the way from Fleetwood Mac and the Bee Gees to Grouplove, but I think he would be more at home in a Vegas club than in front of a crowd. I did just start a station based on him that I'm using at the gym, and it's perfect there, as well. His energy didn't quite transfer to the crowd, but I'd LOVE to see him DJ a club or party.
Starfucker
These guys know how to put on a show: before this, I didn't know that "dancing in a space suit during a concert" was a viable job plan, but now I have to look into it. These guys came out and gave the show their all for all 25 songs. Not even a third of the way through, they jumped right into Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second, and did not go below 150 BPM after that. Pop Song, German Love, and Bury Us Alive were all better live than their excellent recorded versions, and their cover of Girls Just Want to Have fun is phenomenal. Their three-song encore of Florida, Julius, and While I'm Alive was a perfect end to a show that had us jumping in 9:30 all night long, as Spacemen crowd-surfed and danced all around the stage.
Go see them. Their current tour is almost over, but they're touring all throughout February and March, and you can find their tour dates here.
'Til next time... keep on listening, keep on singing, and keep live music alive.
I hadn't heard much about Kelsey Waldon before this show, but I did like what I had heard of her on NPR. She's got a voice right between Alison Krauss and Loretta Lynn, with the perfect amount of Kentucky twang to straddle the line. Her song "All By Myself" deserves to be put in the pantheon of the country-ish category of "men, who needs them?" songs like Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," The Dixie Chicks' "Goodbye Earl," and, of course, Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'." It's no wonder she made that song her last of her set.
Her set was phenomenal, though not long enough. Her voice really is a perfect voice for folk-country, and she straddled the line between bluegrass and country perfectly.
These guys are a down-to-earth country band, just going from show to show, playing their way with a sound that is vintage Hank Williams. (The good one, not his crap son.) Their sound is perfect for an intimate venue like Gypsy Sally's, and they filled the room with country perfection.
Halfway through their energetic set, they took a small break to go one-mic acoustic, and the set got a folksy vibe before they went back to electric instruments to close the show strong.
You can find their upcoming tour dates here, and they're with Kelsey Waldon through the end of the week.
'Til next time... keep on listening, keep on singing, and keep live music alive.
Two concerts in two weeks at the Lincoln Theatre, and despite loving both acts, I'm not sure we could find two more opposite crowds - the crowd didn't sit at all during T/N/A/F or XYLØ, and we stood only for select songs at this concert... but both concerts were still great!
The opening act, AJR, sounded really great, and I challenge you not to sing "I'm Not Famous" to yourself over and over again for the rest of the day after hearing it. Their set was a little uneven, but that's to expected from an act that just released their first EP. Once they get more songs under their belt, they'll be able to even out the show, but no matter what they were singing, Jack ran all across the stage, which made it nearly impossible to get a good picture of him. Their new single, "Weak," was a strong addition to their repertoire, and their first single, "I'm Ready" was a strong closer for their set. I'm excited to see where these brothers end up going, and if you're looking to see them live in the DC area, they're going to be back in March, playing at Jammin Java.
Ingrid Michaelson was awesome. Full disclosure, I've pretty much had a huge crush on her since I first heard her music at least 10 years ago. She opened the show strong with "Light Me Up," threw in a couple of amazing covers, including a haunting rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" on the ukulele, and played every single song everyone wanted to hear, including "The Way I Am" and "Be OK." She brought AJR on stage for a new song called "The Lotto." And after a set where most of the (lame) audience was sitting down, she ended her set with two energetic songs that got our asses out of our seats: "Celebrate" and "Hell No." (If nothing else, watch the Hell No video because it's in ASL and it's great.) And if that wasn't enough, she came back out for the encore and jumped right into "Girls Chase Boys," keeping the audience up out of their seats, and for the completely unexpected (and ass-kicking) finale, she and her band covered the classic Right Said Fred song, "Wonderman." ...I'm just kidding, and I was checking if you were still reading: of course the song was "I'm Too Sexy," and it was great, including a choreographed dance to end the concert. If you get a chance to see her, take it: it's 100% worth it, and her voice fills the room with perfectly pitched joy.
Sadly, Ingrid Michaelson's tour is almost over, with only a sold out show in DC tonight and one in NYC on December 14.
Until last night, I'd never seen music at the Lincoln Theatre, and now I'm less than a week from going back there again! (For Ingrid Michaelson.) Before we get to the awesome headliner, or even the two opening acts, you've gotta know how the Lincoln Theatre works: if a show is "general admission," go there early and grab seats in the front when the doors open. I got there 5 minutes after the doors were open and I got seats in the middle of the 5th row, leading to all the glamorous shots you're going to see in this post.
A second thing to note: the acoustics at Lincoln Theatre are, to put it kindly, pretty underwhelming. The acoustics are built for voice (it's a great place to see stand-up), but that often results in sound washing out. That's definitely another reason to be there early - get close enough that you hear the artists and not the reverb.
Kamtin Mohager, a/k/a The Chain Gang of 1974
The Chain Gang of 1974 has a strong synthpop sound, but they didn't have any favors done for them with the acoustics. The balance was a little off, hurting their vocals: what would have been powerful vocals in "Sleepwalking" were just washed out, and I'm pretty sure the people running the sound board used this opener to rebalance sounds for the next two bands. Still, they put out a strong set, especially with "I Still Wonder." I'll keep a lookout for them, because I really do want to hear what they can do in a place that's not an acoustic nightmare!
You can find their newest single "I Still Wonder" here.
XYLØ's super sibling duo of Paige (left) and Chase
While it's unsurprising knowing their musical content, it still was jarring how political Paige and Chase were. In just eight songs - culminating in "America" and "Fool's Paradise," XYLØ dedicated their concert to "their LGBT friends, people of color, and all those who are marginalized... if they're going to build a wall, we're going to shatter the glass ceiling." In addition to that message, they were a wave of dreampop that helped get the audience into the groove, and nobody sat down the entire set. The next time you see them, don't be surprised if they're headlining at Echostage or opening for someone at the Verizon Center.
Check out their new single (they're featured on a Chainsmokers track) here: YouTube | iTunes | Apple Music | Spotify - This is one of the coolest lyric videos I've ever seen, and yeah, don't try it at home.
T/N/A/F
TNAF never disappoints, and their 15 song set was perfect. I'm not sure what else I can say about them except that while everyone knows how amazing Alisa is with her lead vocals, it's easy to forget or discount Thom's vocals - and you shouldn't. If he wanted to, he could front his own band - check out his vocals on "Girls Like You" if you don't believe me - and we're all lucky for him being happy to be mostly sidelined by Alisa. They opened the show with a powerful rendition of "The Water Beneath You" and then slowly built the energy before getting everyone jumping with "Punching in a Dream." After taking us back and forth between their first two albums with pitstops at "the new stuff," they put together an absolutely killer crescendo through their last four songs: "Laid Low" (which was co-written with The Chain Gang of 1974), "Last Forever," "Girls Like You," and of course, they closed the set with "Young Blood." By the time they came back out to do "No Way" as their encore, the tickets had long since been paid off.
Hey all! I know, two posts in two days, what does this guy think he owns the place? Well, as a completely unqualified man, I'm going with "yes, yes I do."
Some songs I think you should listen to: (Spoiler alert, it's a recap of the last 7 #todayssongs I've tweeted out)
Tue 11/15 - Lincoln Theatre - The Naked and Famous
I've seen them before in concert, and the energy that they exude while on stage is contagious. You cannot go to this concert and not be super happy. Since bursting on the scene about 6 years ago, they've released albums every 3 years, and each has built upon the energetic body of work preceding it. I challenge you to listen to "Young Blood," and not feel like, well, you're young and naïve still.
You can find their new album "Simple Forms" here: iTunes | Spotify
I'm also really interested in seeing XYLØ open for them, because I'm nothing if not a sucker for electropop.
Mon 11/21 - Lincoln Theatre - Ingrid Michaelson
I first heard of her when I saw her open for Dave Matthews Band in 2008. (In case you were wondering, I can't be a music snob when I've been to over 50 DMB shows, but please don't hold that against me... too much.) Her smoky, but optimistic, voice carries melodies that make you sway with the beat, and from what I've heard, her "Hell No" tour, which started in my home city of Cincinnati, has been full of her rocking small to mid sized venues.
I'm not sure which sibling act opener I'm more excited to see - XYLØ for TNAF, or AJR for Ingrid Michaelson. These three guys are hilarious and have taken their new attention 100% in stride. You just can't beat "bad white folks dancing" for a self-aware video, and they did it perfectly. Their sound is fun, their vibe is fun, and sometimes there's nothing better than a garden variety pop sound.
Tue 11/29 - Gypsy Sally's - Girls, Guns, and Glory
The best way to describe these guys is that they inhabit the space somewhere between alt-country and Hank Williams... ALL of it. (The good, deceased Hank Williams, not his far-less-talented son.) Their unique sound is something to be cherished, especially because Gypsy Sally's is one of my favorite intimate venues in the DC area.
It's difficult to make it to the mainstream when your name is Starfucker, but this band has done well with the name and the music. They're probably best known for "Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second," but they're a mainstay in both TV and Movies. They've done what they can to make their name safe for work, but their music is as potent as ever.
Check out their new album "Being No One, Going Nowhere" here: Spotify
Shows coming up in DC in the next three months that you should go to, and I might go to:
First of all, if you're not going to a show on Tuesday, November 15, I'm not sure I want to know you - there are three awesome acts all around the area.
Tuesday 11/15 - Echostage - Good Charlotte
Tuesday 11/15 - Fillmore Silver Spring - The Fray and American Authors
Tuesday 11/15 - Lincoln Theatre - The Naked and Famous
Thursday 11/17 - Echostage - Two Door Cinema Club
Monday 11/21 - Lincoln Theatre - Ingrid Michaelson
Tuesday 11/22 - Lincoln Theatre - Ingrid Michaelson
Saturday 11/26 - Warner Theater- Brian Setzer Orchestra
Tuesday 11/29 - Gypsy Sally's - Girls, Guns, and Glory
Wednesday 11/30 - 9:30 Club - Starfucker
Wednesday 12/7 and Thursday 12/8 - Fillmore Silver Spring - 94.7 FM Not So Silent Night (two days)
Wednesday 12/7 - Fillmore Silver Spring - 94.7 NSSN Day 1: Mike Posner, Lindsey Stirling, and JoJo
Thursday 12/8 - Fillmore Silver Spring - 94.7 NSSN Day 2: Third Eye Blind w. Wrable, The Rua
Thursday 12/8 - Birchmere - The Dan Band
Saturday 12/10 - Black Cat - Reverend Horton Heat
Sunday 12/11 - Hamilton Live - Edwin McCain
Monday 12/12 - Birchmere - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Thursday 12/15 - Birchmere - Carbon Leaf
Thursday 12/15 - 9:30 Club - Thievery Corporation
Sunday 12/18 - Fillmore Silver Spring - Lauryn Hill
Tuesday 12/20 - Hamilton Live - Los Lobos
Friday 12/23 - Hamilton Live - Virginia Coalition
Friday 12/23 - Fillmore Silver Spring - 80s and 90s Dance Party with DJ BIZ MARKIE!
Friday 12/30 - Hamilton Live - Old 97s * - I'll be there
Saturday 12/31 - Hamilton Live - Old 97s
Wednesday 1/4/17 - Hamilton Live - $20-25 - Cherry Poppin Daddies - WITH A DANCE FLOOR!
Thursday 1/12/17 - Echostage - Run the Jewels * - I'll be there
Friday 1/20/17 - Birchmere - Ricky Skaggs
Saturday 1/21/17 - Birchmere - Ricky Skaggs
Friday 1/27/17 - Howard Theatre - Ginuwine
Sunday 1/29/17 - Birchmere - Phil Vassar
Stations you should create this week:
1. Radical Face
Ben Cooper's haunting vocals will stay with you, and his sound provides a perfect keystone to create a station on. You won't have to add anymore seeds to this station and can just let the music wash over you.
"Welcome Home"
2. Andrew McMahon/Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness/Something Corporate/Jack's Mannequin
I'm not going to lie, I feel like "Everything in Transit" might be one of the most perfectly constructed albums of all time. It encapsulates its mood and its time perfectly. I challenge you to listen to it and not instantly be transported to the innocence of your first love and the crushing misery of your first heartbreak. Despite "Dark Blue" and "Into the Airwaves" starring on this CD, I can't let go of "La La Lie," and you shouldn't either.
"La La Lie"
Band tour to spotlight this week:
The Lumineers
There's really nothing more to say about this band than they're perfect. They are great live, they're great on an album, and even better, Kaleo is their opener! If you're ANYWHERE near them, you have to see them live!
Their sophomore album, Cleopatra, takes and builds on the amazing sound they had four years ago with their self-titled debut. It's a richer, more complex sound: they're growing into it, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next!
Check out their new single "Angela/Patience" here: Vevo
JANUARY
17 Omaha, NE CenturyLink Center
19 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
20 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
21 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena
24 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
26 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
27 Auburn Hills, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
28 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center
31 Cincinnati, OH US Bank Arena
FEBRUARY
2 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
28 Grand Prairie, TX Verizon Theater
MARCH
2 Sugar Land, TX Smart Financial Centre
3 New Orleans, LA UNO Lakefront Arena
8 Duluth, GA Infinite Energy Center
10 Indianapolis, IN Bankers Life Fieldhouse
11 Cleveland, OH Wolstein Center
14 Pittsburgh, PA Petersen Events Center
16 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
18 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
19 Quebec City, QC Videotron Centre
21 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
22 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
24 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
25 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
28 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
30 Saskatoon, SK SaskTel Centre
31 Edmonton, AB Rogers Place
Thought of the week:
Just do what you can to put as much love as you can into the world out there. Believe me, it needs it.
'Til next time... keep on listening, keep on singing, and keep live music alive.
Hi there, readers! I'm the new guy in town, Karthik. (Well, I've actually been in DC for 5 years now, but I'm the new guy in this digital town.)
I go to way too many concerts, and I'll be doing a lot of live concert recaps for you. I guess there'll be more about me in the contributors page soon enough, but for now, screw it, let's just jump right in. You can find me on twitter here, but my posting is probably 10% music, 90% hippie liberal, so your mileage may vary. (No matter what, you get one song a day from me, if nothing else.)
I'm recapping two concerts that were 3 days apart because honestly, other than the concerts, there's not much linking the worlds of Sunday, November 6th, pre-election day and Wednesday, November 9th, post-election day.
The reason I link these two guys is that, way back in the Spring of 2001, your intrepid blogger and then-college freshman found out about this really cool music service called Pandora that was supposed to replace Napster (RIP). It was super cool - you could put in an artist (or two or more) and it would play songs based on their sound. While I first made stations based on bands, I started to create stations based on moods, and one of my favorite stations was called "Wistful Singer-Songwriters" and was just a station based on six artists (in alphabetical order): Howie Day, Damien Jurado, Greg Laswell, Matt Nathanson, Joshua Radin, and Damien Rice. One of my (obviously ex-)girlfriends referred to that station as "Music to Kill Yourself By," and while she wasn't completely wrong, I still love it and listen to it pretty often.
Getting to see two of those guys in a week was something that 17-year-old me would have thought made up an awesome week, and it's one of the few things teen me would think was awesome about old me.
The first show (Radin/GOW) started off amazingly - if you haven't seen Good Old War, put them on your list immediately. (If you've seen them, you already know what I mean.) You'll come for Dan's amazing guitar solos, but you'll stay for Keith's endearingly awkward white boy dancing. (Tim's drum fills are great, as are his backing vocals: didn't want you to think I forgot about him.)
They started energetic, and then went sappy to sing an anniversary song to two of their friends in the audience, and, honestly, I think I've found a new song in the running for "my first wedding dance" song: "Amazing Eyes," (another post for another time) which they immediately followed with the fun and catchy "Small World."
Good Old War: "Amazing Eyes"
Good Old War: "Small World"
And that was just the first half of their set! By the end of their set, I knew that I had a new band to start mainlining right into my ear holes, and while I'd suggest getting all of their music, their newest album "Broken Into Better Shape" was put out by Nettwerk and is beautifully produced if you're looking for just one to grab.
Before we move to Joshua Radin's set, here's links to his new single, "High and Low": itunes | spotify | amazon
And now, after Good Old War blew our minds, it was time for Joshua Radin to bring the mellow, and the mellow is strong with this one. It seemed that every song had to do with a girl, and every story pretty much had to do with almost breaking up, breaking up, trying to get back together, or explaining why they would never get back together... yup, story checks out. Then he went into "Winter" to close his set, and it took me back to my days of when I got all my music from Scrubs. He came out for two more songs, closing with a Bob Dylan cover ("Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), continuing to prove the point that Bob Dylan's music is better when played by anyone other than Bob Dylan. (But damn if that Nobel Prize winner isn't an amazing poet.)
Joshua Radin: "I'd Rather Be With You"
The show was awesome overall, and after, I was able to grab a couple of albums and get them signed by Good Old War. The guys are way too nice, and we ALL need to reward them with fame and fortune, or at least with a few more listens. The Birchmere is also a unique venue, with tables and servers and semi-open seating. It's hard to describe in words, but I'd suggest going there for a show if there's someone you're 50/50 on seeing instead of skipping the venue.
Three days and a devastating presidential election later...
I'm not going to lie, I didn't sleep Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I spent a lot of the day crying, and put in an almost 12 hour work day just to avoid thinking about things. That's part of why I forced myself to go to the Damien Jurado show with a friend, because there was no way I should have been home alone that evening, even if it was to go to a concert based on the "Music to Kill Yourself By" station.
Getting there a little early, there were maybe 25 people in the room when Doug Keith came out, but you wouldn't know it by the power he put into strumming his guitar. He came out, knowing the room was filled with those, like me, who had just had existential dread unexpectedly thrust upon them by 'Murica. He talked about how he was feeling - how we were all feeling - and then he gave us some folksy blues songs that honestly reminded me of an acoustic version of some Stevie Ray Vaughan picks, but with a voice that resembles a less-growly Springsteen. And, after 45 minutes, he jumped off stage, letting us wait for the main act.
Doug Keith: "The Lowest Low"
By then, the room had filled a little more, with probably over 150 people, but still enough that space wasn't at a premium.
Before jumping into Mr. Jurado's show, here's a link to a new single from his upcoming album of covers with Richard Swift called "Other People's Songs, Volume 1": Hello Sunshine.
Damien got up and without saying a word, jumped into a powerful ballad, and then, immediately upon finishing, started joking with the audience and putting us at ease, interjecting hilarity between each wistful song. He even brought up an audience member to be his percussion, and then after his powerful rendition of "Ohio" - which is maybe only powerful to me as someone from Ohio - he told us the story of how instead of getting into the story of the song, he just imagines himself behind a large sheet, hiding from the audience as he played. Best quip of the night: "My last name is pronounced Hu-rado like the question, but I guess I should go with Ju-rado given what happened last night."
Damien Jurado: "Ohio"
In contrast with the energy we had on Sunday, the Wednesday show was a combination of painkiller and gallows humor that was just what we needed.
Doug Keith's blues guitar just hurt so good, and I was lucky to catch him after the show to sign a vinyl for me.
In addition to thrilling teenaged me, this music has kept me level this week, and I hope you all find some good concerts! I'll do my best to keep people informed of concerts in the DC area, as well as artists you should be looking out for.
I was lucky enough to be in Minneapolis this weekend for Prince's 3-day album release party and the highlight, since Prince didn't play (which I will rant about in a separate post), was definitely Portland-based singer Liv Warfield. No cameras allowed in Paisley Park (ever), unfortunately, so I don't have pictures from the show.
Liv Warfield is the real deal. Amazing singer, charismatic, high energy performer, ability to attract an incredibly talented band, and absolutely gorgeous to boot... I don't use the word "incredible" lightly but her performance at Paisley Park on September 5th was exactly that.
I'll call the genre of her music "headbanger funk" - funky bass beats and soulful vocals with some downright metal guitar riffs. Although there was of course some R&B and a smooth jazz ballad or two, as well. Really, her music spans several genres.
Her backup singers are as talented as she is - so much so that when one of them did a sort of bee bop (doo wop?) solo, Prince ran on the stage to give her props (one of the only appearances he would make the entire weekend). While I definitely loved all of Liv's songs and she is the quintessential frontwoman, I think my favorite bit was she left the stage and her backup singers did a few covers, particularly a funky/metal cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" that was part of an epic, longer medley. After a while, Liv came back on and joined the song and Prince must have loved it too because it was during the latter part (not sure what the later songs were) of this epic cover medley though that Prince made his second appearance and took the guitar from the guitar player and played for a minute (back faced to the audience the whole time...). So technically I guess I did get to see Prince play live. Technically (*frustrated eye roll*)
Anyway, definitely check her/them out. They played Sunday, as well, and were just as good, but the set was very similar. There was a longer sort of jam-out session in which each of the instrumentalists got to play lengthy solos, which was cool. They're all amazingly talented. And they aren't too hard on the eyes either... I think she referred to her band as Blackbird but I can't find any info on them and I don't think they're really permanent per se or recording under that name (and to make the Googleability harder, she has a song called Blackbird).
I've been wanting to see Janelle Monae live for a long time now and thanks to her Eephus tour to promote her Wondaland Records artists, I got to fulfill that dream for free.
Saturday night at the Howard Theater, an amazing show took place. Obviously Janelle Monae was amazing. But not knowing much about the other artists, I didn't know what was in store. I have to say, I really liked pretty much every single one of the acts, so I've decided to write about each here.
One of the things that I liked best about the show was that it wasn't your usual "this band, then this band, then this band." Artists (Monae included) came on for a song or two then left, then came back later or sang with one of the other artists for a song or two. It was formatted much more like a variety show than a traditional concert. Although I think that's the way many of Wondaland's songs are being released, as well - as collaborations mixing and matching all the artists.
Since I'm sure you're familiar with Janelle Monae (and if not, shame on you), let's start with Jidenna. Jidenna's single Classic Man is the first release from Monae's Wondaland records. He's suave and debonair in an old-school way: always dressed in a three-piece suit with a tie, pocket square, pocket watch and even a cane (which is clearly for style and not function). His charisma is off the charts. And oh. so. fine. He hails from Brooklyn and is apparently the son of a Nigerian chief and an American anthropologist - as if he wasn't already interesting enough.
Deep Cotton is the duo of Nate ‘Rocket’ Wonder and Chuck Lightning. Their sound seemingly fuses practically every genre imaginable: from jangly rock guitars with punk-style vocals to soulful falsetto with a funky beat, they shift back and forth across genres as if genres were a thing that never existed to begin with. They were great performers too, very high energy and constantly dancing all over the stage.
St. Beauty is the duo of Alex Belle and Isis Valentino. A fitting name for these ladies. I was totally entranced by their sultry, emotive songs. Their voices are rich and gorgeous. And they were very in-tune with each other in a way that is so rare among even the best musical teams.
Roman GianArthur has an awesome 6-pack. It was hard for me to concentrate on his music with his jacket open to his chiseled torso. Kidding. Mostly ;-) His music fell much more cleanly into the R&B category than the others did, and that's not generally my genre of preference, but it was still totally enjoyable. And while his songs might not be revolutionary, he is definitely insanely talented, both as a singer and a guitarist.
Janelle Monae has put together quite the roster. The concert finished up with all the artists coming on stage together to perform Hell You Talm Bout, as a call to African Americans to be on the front lines speaking up about police brutality which was an intense, emotion-filled end to an amazing show. Here's a video:
Yesterday I made a relatively impromptu decision to catch Django Django at 9:30 Club. I'm so glad that I did! I feel like it's rare for me to be able to make last minute decisions about shows at 9:30 because they usually sell out in advance but I was fortunate this time. Because I went on the early side to make sure I could get tickets, I have never been at 9:30 Club that early ever and the sun was streaming through the windows in a really beautiful way, reminiscent of a church a bit.
Opening was Beat Connection, who were a hip, young, attractive group of guys. Made me feel kinda old actually, haha. But their music was very danceable and they put on a good show. My only question mark was the pants-tucked-into-socks look of the lead singer. Please tell me that's not a new fad. Please.
Django Django was wonderful. The lead singer played multiple instruments and rocked the f**k out the whole time. I really enjoy their unique mix of jangly surf guitar and electronic sounds. And I liked the way they incorporated images/video, though I think they could continue to hone and improve that (and I'm sure they will). I danced my ass off and had a jolly good time.
Friday night I hit Rock 'n' Roll Hotel to see The Family Crest. I had wanted to see them at SXSW but didn't get around to it in all the craziness. Unfortunately I missed the opener.
They started with the epic "Beneath the Brine," which sort of surprised me - I figured they'd save that for later. However, it certainly kicked off the set with a lot of energy, and they continued to keep it up. They really are a talented group of people. I know they have tons and tons of guest artists on their recordings (they claim over 400 "extended family" members who have contributed) but the core band is only 7. I guess that is still a relatively large band, but I was wondering how they could still maintain such a full sound. They definitely managed. The whole set felt quite robust.
I definitely recommend checking out The Family Crest if you have the chance. I have a feeling we'll continue seeing wonderful things from them.
Last night I took advantage of a last-minute free ticket offer from a friend to see The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at 9:30 Club. Ska is not my typical genre of choice, but I forget how much fun it really can be, especially live. Teenage me was super psyched to see them. This particular show surprised me by having a bit of a punk edge to it, too (at least the first two bands).
First up was The Interrupters. They were awesome. Didn't totally get their whole all-three-guys-with-buzz-cuts look (if they weren't dressed so hip my initial thought would've been that they were skinheads). The lead singer, Aimee, has an interesting voice, very deep and raspy but strong. She was quite spunky. They all were really, jumping, dancing standing on their boxes. A near-perfect blend of punk and ska so as to be edgy but still maintain some of that ska playfulness.
Next up was Street Dogs, who were definitely on the more punk side of the spectrum. I loved how lead singer Mike McColgan spent probably more than half their set standing on the barricade leaning into the audience. Their set was very "power to the people" - lots of fists raised high. It got a little rowdy in the crowd but I kind of enjoyed the rowdiness - it wasn't super rough or disrespectful as it sometimes can be.
And of course, the headliner was the good ol' Mighty Mighty Bosstones. They were a blast. Everyone on stage seemed like they were having so much fun! They had one guy on stage whose sole responsibility seemed to be dancing (occasionally he sang a little backup I think but barely. But boy, did he never stop moving!). One kind of heart-warming moment was when frontman Dicky Barrett brought his son on stage to play with them, who just so happened to be one of The Interrupters! Kind of a cool family ska legacy.
All in all it was a great show. I danced, I was covered in sweat by the end (only half of it mine I think), and it might be the most fun I've had at a show since SXSW. Check out more pictures here.
Our sister company, Experience360, made this awesome 360° video of one of Magic Giant's performances at SXSW and just launched their YouTube channel. Look around and dance with the audience as the band rocks out!
While you can view it Chrome or Firefox and scroll around with your mouse, it's best used with your YouTube app on iOS and Android devices so that you can use your phones accelerometer to look around. If you have Google Cardboard, YouTube on Android is compatible!
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!
Last Saturday I had the privilege of seeing British rock icons Wire at Black Cat. I don't even remember the opener's name and truth be told I'm not going to bother looking it up because he was terrible. My friend referred to his set as masturbatory and I think that's the best way to sum it up. He had the coolest guitar I've ever seen though, which only annoyed me more because I felt like he didn't deserve it. Picture below but it doesn't do it justice because the lighting was... practically non-existent.
Wire was fun. I will admit it was a more chill show than I was expecting (the most upbeat songs in their set were toward the very end) but in some ways that made it more pleasant because I could dance in peace without worrying about the place turning into a mosh pit. You could tell how much their fans (mostly a young crowd, at least in the front rows where I was) revere them and the show had a great, positive vibe. Definitely that feeling of being in the presence of legends. People were really respectful of both the band and each other. It was a cool experience overall and you should catch them if you have the chance.
More photos here. And here are their remaining tour dates:
Last night was one of those rare shows that I legitimately felt privileged to attend. One of those shows where you leave feeling high despite not having done any drugs because it was just that awesome of a show.
It started rather late, but I ended up being grateful for that because otherwise I would've missed most of the opening act, Riothorse Royale. Two seriously rockin' ladies on vocals, guitar, and bass, and a drummer. Gotta say, these ladies made me want to join a rock band. They played a relatively short set, I'm guessing because they only have one EP to their name thus far, and that came out in May. Props to them for snagging the opening act to Other Lives as such a young band. They must've gotten someone's attention, and they certainly got mine - it's a good sign when you're sad a band is done playing.
Then came Other Lives. Seriously, amazing. First off, major props on the lighting. I thought it seemed a little hipster at first but it really did take the show to another level. It made the stage beautiful. Secondly, so much sound. SO. MUCH. SOUND. It was heavenly. The sound mixing was awesome. The layers upon layers that built and subsided... Pretty much everything about the show was perfect. They played a perfect balance of old and new. And most of the guys played multiple instruments (sometimes more than one at once! see below). Such a talented group. It will probably remain one of my favorite shows all year.
It has been far too long since I've seen awesome klezmer punk band, Golem, live. The theatricality, the dancing, the pure entertainment! It was so much fun! And this time they looked quite dapper, all dressed in red.
The only bummer was that even though the synagogue originally left half the floor open for dancing, they ended up filling it with seats, so very few people danced. Half way through the show I couldn't take it anymore and got up and danced in the back (despite having a killer front-row seat, I just couldn't stay seated!)
Photos don't do their high energy performance justice (at least not in this lighting) so here's a little video I took:
Sorry I've been a little MIA in the past few weeks - I was in San Francisco for work for much of early May and was of course getting ready for the trip at the end of April.
While I was in San Francisco, I did get to see a fair amount of live music. In particular, I kept ending up at The Saloon. It's a hole-in-the-wall spot that is cash only (seriously, I thought San Fran was a tech city and yet so many places are cash only!), but the music was great! A lot of blues and jazz, and an eclectic mix of people in both the bands and the audience. There's a reason I kept ending up back there (not usually even by my own suggestion!) and I highly recommend it if you have the chance. There was never a cover while I was there, so even if you don't end up liking the music, you have nothing to lose by checking it out.
My favorite show during the music festival portion of SXSW was the 101X showcase, coincidentally at the same venue (ACL Moody Theater) as my overall favorite show, The Flaming Lips. I was there for Priory, Big Data (who is primarily who I was there to see), and AWOLNATION.
I had never heard of Priory before that night, but they were really fun. Although I'm sure I had probably heard Weekend and maybe even Put 'em Up before and just hadn't realized who it was by. They had a lot of energy, told stories between songs a bit, and the lead singer even crowd-surfed. By the end of the set, I really wanted to be friends with them because they seemed like really cool guys.
The lead singer of Priory crowd-surfing
Big Data, whose music I am a big fan of, was actually a little bit of a disappointment in comparison to Priory. They didn't have as much energy or stage presence. I really expected more, honestly. I still enjoyed their show and maybe had they not been in this particular line-up I wouldn't have felt the same but they were my least favorite of the three.
AWOLNATION, on the other hand, blew me away. Like many others at the show(much to the band's chagrin I'm sure), I only knew "Sail" when I walked in the venue that night. I wasn't sure if I would like the rest of their set but they were fantastic. They had so much energy, lead singer Aaron Bruno's voice has this amazing ability to go from raspy, dark scream to beautiful, smooth melody on the turn of a dime. Plus he jumped/danced his ass off throughout the show. Despite not having the crazy production value of the Flaming Lips, it was pretty epic just based on his performance. Definitely go see them if you have the chance. I will say, though, you can tell they're really sick of performing "Sail" - that was Bruno's least energetic performance and he pretty much left the stage the second he was done singing, despite the song not being over. So do them a favor and don't yell "SAIL!" throughout the whole show.
