The definitive record of live music in Washington, D.C. and beyond for the 2010’s
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The Milk Carton Kids @ The Birchmere - 12/4/11
There’s an old saying that says imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that is truly the case then David Rawlings and Gillian Welch should be positively blushing after one listen to the Milk Carton Kids performing songs from their excellent 2011 release, Prologue.
RELEASE THE KRAKEN!!!: Mastodon @ The 9:30 Club - 11/27/11
Metal can be a funny thing. On one hand, when done correctly, it’s a remarkably complex style of music that blends expert musicianship with practically medieval celebrations of all things EVIL...or at least bad feelings. On the other, it’s also largely about grown ass men dressing up in leather cod pieces (armor!) and spiky bracelets (swords!) and as such is often something that is very hard to take seriously, mainly because it’s hard to imagine that the purveyors of METALLLL(!!!!!) take it that seriously themselves.
Well, thank Cthulu that Mastodon takes themselves seriously. Very seriously.
WAVES AND STATIC: A.A. Bondy @ The Rock and Roll Hotel - 11/18/11
Near the middle of his set, A. A. Bondy thanked a tightly packed crowd for putting up with extended breaks between songs. I thought, “Wait, why wouldn’t we put up with it?” As did many other people, who talked back toward the stage praising Bondy, and rightfully so. His studio work is soulful and mesmerizing, but live, everything is taken to a new level, especially with the intimacy of a venue like the Rock & Roll Hotel.
But let’s backtrack for a moment, to talk about opener, Gold Leaves. They’re a grungy-looking band with scraggly beards and hoodies, but their music is extremely sunny and poppy. They connected with crowd quickly as they worked their way through tracks from their latest album, The Ornament, with singer Grant Olsen pausing in between songs to remark on the tightness of the crowd. Reverb drenched Olsen’s voice and the pedal steel guitar of his band-mate, and though the songs were all somewhat quiet (something about their looks made you want them to rock the f*&% out once or twice) I was impressed nonetheless.
After a quick break, the house lights went down again leaving only a bright orange beam directed at the second guitarist. Projected on screen behind the band were videos of waves and static, creating a sense of intimacy in the somewhat sweltering darkness. Bondy stepped onstage wearing a worn baseball cap, sweatshirt and carrying a backpack. Chewing a toothpick, he looked determined, stringing out his pedals and giving commands on how set up gear. That energy transferred into the first song (also the first track on his new album, Believers) “The Heart Is Willing,” a tense stomp over which he delivered vocals like warnings against monsters that lurk at night.
3 Songs, No Flash: Foo Fighters w/Social Distortion @ The Verizon Center - 11/11/11
What you're looking at right there is pure, unadulterated rock and f@#@ing roll folks.
Say what you will about the Foo Fighters, but they are the last of a dying breed of musicians known only as ROCK STARS (staricus rockimus if we're being precise). They simply don't make em like this anymore and from the moment that Grohl and friends took the stage for their hometown-ish show last Friday at the Verizon Center, the pedal was to the metal and it never let up, even for a minute...or so we've heard.
Live Music: Body Language @ U Street Music Hall - 11/10/11
Maybe it’s because I’d been listening to Body Language’s latest, Social Studies, for nearly two days straight. Or maybe it’s because I’d been stuck in a box inside a box, awash in paperwork and fluorescents, for the better part of a week, then suddenly let free and forced by friends (FORCED, I tell you!) to imbibe in adult beverage after beverage after beverage. Or maybe merely the process of descending downstairs toward UHall’s deep dark well of dance simply changes a person. Whatever the case, I found myself perfectly primed to enjoy the sold-out Body Language show and geared up to express, for better or worse, my own.
ASS shaking...up close and personal
Feeling Good Feeling Bad: Crooked Fingers @ Iota - 11/1/11
Touring in support of the bands new album Breaks In The Armor, the group, headed up by ex-Archers of Loafer Eric Bachman, played to an eager crowd. Delivering a performance that felt less like you were seeing the band in some club in Northern Virginia than it did that Bachman and crew were simply stopping by your house to try out some new songs on you and your friends, the band stunned from note one.
"Evolution": Wild Flag @ The Black Cat 10/20/11
Words: Paul Photos: Kevin
I know it seems odd to use the term “evolution” in reference to a band that only came into existence at the end of last year but I could think of no better term what I saw from Wild Flag this year. Within eight short months, Wild Flag gave an inspired (if raw) debut performance at the Black Cat, released a fantastic album, and finally returned this past Thursday as fully formed rock stars flexing their muscles at the same venue. It is a rare thing indeed to be able to witness this type of change from a national act in such a tight window of time.
When Wild Flag first played the Black Cat in February, I had no idea what to expect. All I knew was that two members of Sleater Kinney, the lead singer of Helium, and the drummer from the Minders had formed a band that had been getting rave reviews on its first tour. There was no album, no video, nothing to indicate what their live show would be like. But reputation and curiosity were enough to get me, the rest of the CG staff, and a sold out crowd through the door – a door which they proceeded to blow off its hinges.
Rosebuds/Hospitality/The Moderate @ The Rock and Roll Hotel - 10/20/11
When you're talking about live music, it really comes down to one thing, the energy that a band and the crowd create in the moment. You’ve either got or ya don’t. So this is an opportunity for other bands to take notice, because everyone walked out of the Rosebuds/Hospitality/Moderate show with a yearning for when that will happen again.
I’m a newbie to the Rosebuds and their music, having only seen them as the opener for Bon Iver earlier this year, where the venue was filled mainly with his fans, not theirs. So it was great to walk into the Rock and Roll Hotel for their show where the North Carolina to DC-based band The Moderate was already rolling through their set. Utilizing a guitar heavy sound that nods to Built to Spill and Modest Mouse, this group has also really focused on their skills as a tight melodic pop unit. And one of the most exciting parts of their driving set was when they would let the songs open up and breathe with an occasional jam, leaving the audience wondering where they might go, by which they guided us all in for a chaotic, but controlled landing. This really set the tone for a fun night.
Synthpop on the Rocks: Ladytron @ The 9:30 Club - 10/11/11
Words: Ethan Photos: Kevin
My first exposure to Ladytron was around 2003, when I was firmly in the clutches of the electro-house surge that accompanied the electroclash boom of the same time. In that moment, Ladytron's Light and Magic seemed to me to be so tight, so timely, and just so right. Unfortunately I lost track of Ladytron after that. So, years later, having rediscovered the band, imagine my surprise that not only had they survived The Great Electroclash Wave of Aught-3, but that in 2003 their best work was actually yet to come. Catching myself up since then, I've developed a deep appreciation for their tight production, strong sense of groove, and icy aesthetic.
This is all by way of saying that I was excited to see Ladytron perform live for the first time on Tuesday, October 22, 2011 at the 9:30 Club. Ultimately, while I wasn't disappointed, I certainly wasn't blown away either.
Ladytron's fifteen song (including encore) set touched on each of its LPs, with the heaviest focus being placed on Gravity the Seducer (4 songs) and Witching Hour (5 songs!). Unlike in some previous Ladytron tours, there were no guitars in this stage setup. Instead, all four band members (Daniel Hunt, Reuben Wu, and singers Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo) parked themselves in front of an arrangement of synthesizers, while being admirably supported only by a live drummer. The technical execution by the band was essentially flawless, and the live drumming added a tremendous amount to the sound, supplying a much needed element of excitement in contrast with Ladytron's carefully cultivated aloofness.
What's the Bizness?: tUnE-YarDs w/Pat Jordache @ The Black Cat 10/8/11
The always fantastic and frequently mindblowing tUnE-YarDs payed another visit to DC this past Saturday, and I'd like to say we're all a little better for it. Merril Garbus, the engine that drives this "group" is simply one of the best, and most capable perfomers on the scene today. And her album whokill is a must hear for anyone who even has the inkling of an appreciation for challenging, thought provoking music that still manages to satisfy on every level. Put simply it's one of the best album released this year.
When we saw Merril and Co. last time here, the buzz was beginning to build behind the album, but had really only spread throughout critics circles and completely obsessive music nerds. She played the Red Palace on H Street, a room that fits 200 on a good day, and at that point in time came off as almost scared of the crowd ammased before her. When she was in the song, she was a veritable hurricane of musical muscle, but the spaces between revealed a somewhat shy performer who may not have quite been sure yet as to why exactly all these people were here in front of her.
Jump forward to Saturday night at the Black Cat. During opener Pat Jordache's (more about him in a minute) set, her and bass player Nate Brenner could be seen side-stage GETTING THE F@#@ DOWN to the 80's inflected sounds that Jordache and his crew were pumping out. It was a joyous discovery to glance over and see this celebration taking place, and it fairly set the tone for the rest of the evening.
Live Music: Explosions In The Sky w/The Antlers @ Rams Head Live - 10/1/11
Words: Kim Photos: Derek
“Pulled together but about to burst apart”
I confess it: I went to this show an enthusiastic fan of the Antlers. They won me over on my first listen to their lyrically dense, disarmingly intimate Hospice. Lead singer and principal poet Peter Silberman shared his deepest secrets with us, his appreciative listeners - his enthusiastic stranger-confidants. On the other hand, I knew “Explosions in the Sky” only from those brief moments when their compositions graced the ever-graceful scenes of Friday Night Lights. And I didn’t even know their name.
Before we headed out to the show, I thought I’d do a bit of research to fill in my hipster-gaps. When I did, I had a few surprises. First: the Antlers were the opening act; Explosions was headlining. Second, Explosions was an instrumental rock group. Instrumental rock? Yep. Third, the show was sold out.
Listening to the Antlers again – particularly their latest album, Burst Apart – in the context of Explosions’ FNL-type pieces, I could hear a melodic convergence between the two bands. The night’s performance could prove interesting: the Antlers’ wordiness would balance out Explosions’ wordlessness; haunting melodies would connect the two performances into a balanced whole.
“Everything Has Changed.” elbow @ The 9:30 Club - 9/23/11
Words: Kim Photos: Derek
[A note on this post. What follows is a kind of annotated description of the performance. We did not record the show. Instead, dialogue is reconstructed from notes hastily scribbled in the dark, written as the note-taker was under the spell of our magician-conductor, Guy Garvey. So quotations aren’t perfect.]
It’s an orchestral opening – which, we would later see, perfectly set the stage for all that followed. We would also learn that the orchestral piece was by Joe Duddell, the British conductor/composer who arranged – and conducted – elbow’s songs for the legendary (Google it!) show by elbow and the Hallé at The Bridgewater Hall for the 2009 Manchester International Festival.
The band enters; and Guy Garvey, our host and personal conductor for the evening, toasts the audience. This, too, would have significance.
“the birds” (rocket boys!)
The toast: it’s the 10th anniversary of elbow’s first performance at the 9:30 Club: “Still the best club in America.” (Appreciative cheers of agreement from the audience. We know he’s not just blowing smoke here.) For those of us not fortunate enough to be there back in 2001, a quick look at the band’s discography reveals that this was the year elbow’s first studio album, Asleep in the Back, was released. No wonder Garvey remembers it. Milestones.
“The Bones of You” (SSK)
“I can work ‘til I break but I love the bones of you. That I will never escape.”
[One of us believes down to her bones that, if only she could write a song as perfect as this one, she could die content, knowing that she had increased the beauty of the universe.]
We now learn that the opening orchestral piece was by Duddell, who appears to be in the audience. Meanwhile, Garvey has himself become a kind of conductor. A front-man-conductor. And we, it seems, are his orchestra. He warms up by leaning toward the audience, pointing to us, one by one, smiling broadly as he points, singing. Oh look – he’s pointing at us now!
A Giant Bomb of Joy: David Wax Museum @ The 9:30 Club - 9/14/11
Take a whole lot of joy, pile another dab or so, then mix in a little more joy and you’d be starting to get the idea of what the David Wax Museum performance at the 9:30 Club last week was like.
Comprised of David Wax on a variety of stringed instruments and Suz Sleezak on fiddle and donkey jawbone (yes, you read that right) this group from Boston blends Mexican and American folk music into a sound that at it’s best is a veritable party for your ears. But there’s more to it than just the party. Their music is an exploration of Americana that is as utterly familiar as it is engaging and fresh in its delivery.
And oh that delivery.
Recap: 2011 Virgin Mobile Free Fest - It's all about the Deadmau5
The Virgin mobile Free Fest returned to Merriweather Post Pavilion for the 3rd time this year, and showed the world why it is quit simply one of the best festivals going today. By freeing up the cost of entry and inviting a diverse group of musicians to come play, Richard Branson has created a musical playground where you’re always going to see and hear something that you might not have before.
"I Have TWO Phasers": The War On Drugs w/Caveman @ The Red Palace - 9/2/11
First of all, I have to give it up for the NYC band known as Caveman. It’s embarrassing that I’ve never even heard of them, but after witnessing their opening set Friday night, you can be sure that I won’t be forgetting them. Floating around somewhere between Radiohead and the sound of America in the 70’s (think Midlake’s Trials of Van Occupanther, but a little more out there) the band is one of the best you’ll see this year. Their debut album Coco Rises will be out September 13, so make sure you pick it up. You’ll thank me, promise. More to the point though, when Caveman comes to your town, at all costs GO!
"Damn right I'll rise again": The Hold Steady @ The 9:30 Club - 9/1/11
It’s been said that The Hold Steady are the greatest damn bar band in all of the land, but these days that assessment may not of the glowing connotation that whoever said that once meant it to have. Somewhere in the middle of planning for the band’s last album Heaven is Whenever, long time keyboardist Franz Nicolay came to the conclusion that his work with the band was done and just like that, he was out of the band. The resulting record was spotty at best and at worst seemed disconnected from everything that had made The Hold Steady so great to begin with.
Before, it had always seemed as if singer Craig Finn was a major player in his tales of druggy, reckless youth gone wild. After Nicolay’s departure the focus shifted less on the band and directly onto Finn, who whatever reason seemed to be outside of his stories now. The shift in narrative focus was even made more jarring by the absence of Nicolay’s joyful keyboards in favor of more traditional arrangements. The point is, is that it just wasn’t the same.
"Bruuuuuuuuce!": Bruce Hornsby w/Punch Brothers @ Wolftrap - 8/28/11
This past Sunday, the day after it was threatened by one force of nature, the DC area was rewarded by two musical forces of nature as they took the stage at Wolftrap.
First up, Punch Brothers. Starting their set as the lawn slowly began to fill up, the band took note that they normally don't have the opportunity to play venues the size of Wolftrap. Why this is, is anyone's guess though. Playing a style of music that can best be described as "extreme bluegrass" this band, led by mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile, is made up of some of the best players on ANY scene that's around today.
Their 2010 album, Antifogmatic, ranked as one of my top albums of that year, and the bands set pulled heavily from that record as expected. But that didn't stop them from throwing in a few new tunes. One of those new songs, "Movement and Location", built slowly from a drone but soon developed into some sort of weird bluegrass/Radiohead hybrid that sounded nothing like the band has done before yet exactly like something you would expect them to come up with.
All in all it was a fantastic, albeit short, set that highlighted just why they were picked to tour with a legend like Hornsby this trip out.
As the lights came up on Hornsby's set, calls of "Bruuuuuuuce" echoed around the wooden interior of the shed at Wolftrap. By now using the term legend with Hornsby isn't just expected, it's demanded. The man has played with or written for a staggering amount of musicians in his career and his stylistic range can best be described as "all".
So.Many.People.: Kurt Vile and the Violators @ The Rock and Roll Hotel (sort of) - 8/10/11
This review is going to be a lot shorter than we had hoped, but sometimes bad situations can't be avoided.
First off let me say that across the board, the ChunkyGlasses team considers Kurt Vile's Smoke Ring For My Halo to be one of the very best this year. It's poetic, moving, entertaining and downright sublime when it wants to be. And given the quality of the release and the reputation that preceded Vile, it was unclear why he would be playing a room as small as the Rock and Roll Hotel, but who are we to question the potential for an intimate performance from one of our favorite artists?
Which is why it hurt that we had to leave the show after only 4 songs...