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Mauricio Castro 10/19/22 Mauricio Castro 10/19/22

Spellling @ Songbyrd Music House [DC] - 10/13/2022

It’s not often that an art-pop album like The Turning Wheel comes around and enraptures listeners with gorgeous production and captivating vocals/vibrato but take one listen to Chrystia Cabral’s sophomore album and you’ll likely be drawing comparisons too, to the likes of Lingua Ignota, Kate Bush, and even technicolor, epic-scale fantasy flicks and video games.

Hailey Collins 10/7/22 Hailey Collins 10/7/22

2022 All Things Go Festival @ Merriweather Post Pavilion [MD] - 10/1/2022

All Things Go returned to Merriweather Post Pavilion this year fully sold out, equipped with a killer lineup and new official mascot, Boomfy the cloud.

Hailey Collins 9/30/22 Hailey Collins 9/30/22

MUNA @ 9:30 Club [DC] - 9/20/2022

MUNA is the greatest band in the world…at least according to their merch. After being dropped from their label during the pandemic, Phoebe Bridgers signed them to Saddest Factory Records, and they have since established themselves as a queer electropop powerhouse.

Mauricio Castro 9/30/22 Mauricio Castro 9/30/22

Coast Contra @ Songbyrd [DC] - 9/21/2022

A good origin story can go a long way, so here’s one about a group of roommates-turned-rising rappers who believed in each other. Brothers Taj and Ras Austin, Colombian-born Rio Loz, and Philadelphia-born Eric Jamal all came from different backgrounds, but all had the same ambitions to break through in the hip-hop world.

Mauricio Castro 9/30/22 Mauricio Castro 9/30/22

Amyl and the Sniffers @ 9:30 Club [DC] - 9/24/2022

t’s been a while since we last checked in with Australia’s Amyl and the Sniffers. Luckily for all of us, their ferocious live show has been a hit, taking the group to top-tier festivals like Glastonbury, Primavera Sound, and Coachella this year alone.

Nick Piacente 9/23/22 Nick Piacente 9/23/22

Breakin' Even Fest (Day 1) @ Pie Shop [DC] - 9/16/2022

The 4th Breakin Even Festival was back at Pie Shop this weekend, after a two-year COVID hiatus. The sold-out event brought local DMV punk acts, out-of-state touring bands, and a newly-added comedy lineup to open the festival.

Hailey Collins 9/23/22 Hailey Collins 9/23/22

Snail Mail @ Fillmore Silver Spring [DC] - 9/9/2022

Since launching into a successful music career at the age of 18, the now 23-year-old Lindsey Jordan has matured immensely in her sound and songwriting since her 2016 Habit EP. Her latest record, Valentine, takes the listener on a vulnerable journey through heartbreak. Snail Mail brought the last night of the Valentine Tour to the Fillmore Silver Spring, just a quick trip down the highway from her hometown of Ellicott City, Maryland.

Mauricio Castro 9/23/22 Mauricio Castro 9/23/22

Phoenix @ The Anthem [DC] - 9/16/2022

Phoenix not only has a thing for earworms, but also eye-catching visuals. For their tour supporting 2017’s Ti Amo, the French band performed underneath a massive mirror tilted towards the crowd while standing atop a video screen that reflected outwards.

Hinga Wuya 9/20/22 Hinga Wuya 9/20/22

Alex Isley @ The Howard Theatre [DC] - 8/25/2022

Alex Isley, the Los Angeles based singer known for her musically versatile family recently graced the stage of a sold-out Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. in support of her latest album, Marigold.

Mauricio Castro 9/2/22 Mauricio Castro 9/2/22

Odesza @ Merriweather Post Pavilion [DC/BAL] - 8/25/2022

Pyrotechnics. Fireworks. Confetti. Lasers. Drums. Drumlines. Horns. A knight avenging his fallen comrades? It’s a very narrow tightrope threading the needle between spectacle and camp, and Odesza are closer than ever to providing a show that would fit right at home on the Vegas strip.

Hinga Wuya 8/19/22 Hinga Wuya 8/19/22

Hiatus Kaiyote @ Fillmore Silver Spring [DC] - 8/12/2022

Haitus Kaiyote, the immensely popular band from down under performed in front of a sold out crowd at The Fillmore, Silver Spring recently. With influences ranging from jazz, R&B, soul, and hip hop their shows are known to thrill, and their set did not disappoint.

Mauricio Castro 8/19/22 Mauricio Castro 8/19/22

Franz Ferdinand @ 9:30 Club [DC] - 8/10/2022

Nearly 20 years after their debut album, Franz Ferdinand continue to make people jump and dance. The band hit the indie-rock stratosphere with “Take Me Out” in 2004, and since then, they’ve performed to crowds all over the world.

Mauricio Castro 8/18/22 Mauricio Castro 8/18/22

BLK ODYSSY @ Songbyrd Music House [DC] - 8/16/2022

The musical odyssey of BLK ODYSSY speaks to people in different ways, thanks in no small part to the many musical paths the duo of Juwan Elrock and guitarist Alejandro Rios take their listeners. There is soul, psych-rock, jazz, hip-hop, thrown in a blender and juxtaposed with the joys and hardships of being a Black man in America

Stephen Bloch 8/15/22 Stephen Bloch 8/15/22

Phish @ Alpine Valley [MKE] - 8/12/2022

Last Friday, The Shangri La of Midwest outdoor venues, Alpine Valley Music Theater, played host to the first of three Phish shows. Clearly, Alpine is a destination (unbound) for Phish as they have played there 20 times since 1996 (the exact same number of shows The Grateful Dead played, if you’re counting). This was the first visit since July 2019, where Phish unleashed sonic wonders at the Sunday show with some serious rarities (Olivia’s Pool, Icculus, and Ruby Waves).

Nick Piacente 8/12/22 Nick Piacente 8/12/22

Halocene @ Songbyrd Music House [DC] - 7/27/2022

Fresh off of a negative COVID test, Halocene made their way through Songbyrd Music House in DC this past week, kicking off the beginning of their Summer 2022 HCU tour. Formed 14 years ago, Halocene cut their teeth opening for Blink 182 and Fall Out Boy among others. The group has carved out a space for themselves online, regularly live-streaming performances on Twitch, and delivering original content, covers and more via Patreon and YouTube

Kevin Hill 8/5/22 Kevin Hill 8/5/22

Seventh Stanine Festival MKE @ Cactus Club [MKE] - 7/30/22

Last weekend they brought that experience to Milwaukee for the first time, and while the DNA of the event may have been the same, the 13 hour fest held at Cactus Club in Bay View was an entirely different animal. Part family/label reunion, and part celebration of the diversity of Milwaukee’s rock/indie/experimental scene it was a day of music unlike anything we’ve seen here in ages.

Hailey Collins 8/5/22 Hailey Collins 8/5/22

Ethel Cain @ Union Stage [DC] - 7/24/2022

Ethel Cain is the character concept and alter-ego of Hayden Anhedönia. Anhedönia’s first full-length project, Preacher’s Daughter, draws on influences from her life growing up in a conservative southern Baptist community. The album tells the story of Ethel Cain and explores themes of love, generational trauma, abuse, religion, and ultimately ends with her getting murdered and cannibalized.

Mauricio Castro 7/28/22 Mauricio Castro 7/28/22

Newport Folk Festival 2022 - 7/22/2022 - 7/24/2022

Newport Folk Festival is always a special place to be every July - not just for the Narragansett Bay views, but also for the top-notch curation and camaraderie between artists and between attendees. After a canceled 2020 iteration and a half-capacity 2021 festival, 2022 brought a larger Harbor stage, two new smaller stages (the Bike and Foundation stage, both serving as counterprogramming to the Quad and Fort stages between their sets, respectively), but the same intimate feel, full of lawn chairs, buskers, frozen lemonade drinks, and musical surprises that fans have come to expect.

Nick Piacente 7/12/22 Nick Piacente 7/12/22

Pretty Bitter @ Comet Ping Pong [DC] - 7/1/2022

It’s been a tough few years for bands navigating the throes of a pandemic, where the ability to play live shows was only secure until the next variant came around. Local DC synth-pop band, Pretty Bitter, used the time to put together their sophomore album ‘Hinges,’ and celebrated the record release at Comet Ping Pong last Friday.

Mauricio Castro 7/7/22 Mauricio Castro 7/7/22

Purity Ring @ 9:30 Club [DC] - 6/29/2022

Having rescheduled not once, not twice, but three times, Edmonton dream-pop duo Purity Ring have been patiently waiting to show off their impressive new stage show, their 2020 album, and their latest 2022 EP to a sold-out 9:30 Club crowd.