The definitive record of live music in Washington, D.C. and beyond for the 2010’s
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Queens of the Stone Age @ The Anthem - 10/20/2017
Josh Homme is rocking the cool dad aesthetic with swagger these days (cool dad level: playing a 6th-grade graduation party). And why shouldn’t he? Twenty-one years after Queens of the Stone Age’s debut, he’s still hoisting the rock n’ roll flag high above the rest and he knows it. The critical acclaim that the band has received since their breakout 2003 hit “No One Knows” has allowed them to experiment with their riff-heavy sound in new, sleeker directions. The addition of producer Mark Ronson for their latest album Villains (released through Matador Records, their first after their departure from Interscope) said as much. There’s no doubt that Homme and company wanted to get people dancing more than headbanging this time around, but with their stop at The Anthem, there was more than enough of both to go around during their two-hour set.
LCD Soundsystem @ The Anthem - 10/17/2017
LCD Soundsystem has become a part of the musical zeitgeist. One could gather as much based off their countless festival headlining spots, their sold-out Madison Square Garden “farewell,” and the amount of pages dedicated to James Murphy and company in the 2017 oral history book Meet Me In the Bathroom. The phrase ‘going out on top’ is a nice ideal for those that idolized the rock-meets-electronic outfit in the 2000s, but Murphy couldn’t help but come back to the thing he did best: make music. So here we are in 2017 with a new LCD Soundsystem album, American Dream. Murphy has now become an icon of sorts for the aging hipster population. (Even a T-shirt at the band's merch table alludes to this observation. Among other conversation-starting merch choices - a baby onesie that proclaims "I might be gay" in rainbow colors.) For this demographic, the excitement was understandably high at The Anthem, where the band kicked off their North American tour. After a long, anticipated wait (seven years have passed since their last DC-area show), LCD Soundsystem kept it as down-to-earth as the band has always done. Aside from the massive disco ball, of course.
Alex Cameron @ Songbyrd - 10/2/2017
There are two sides of Alex Cameron that fans need to know: the calm, collected leader of a six-person band, and the schlocky, insecure character he channels in his music who wants to stuff losers into school lockers. Why? If you haven't listened to "Marlon Brando" yet, off of Cameron's latest album Forced Witness, you'd probably get the wrong idea: "So I'll tell you something sister, I'm feeling mighty fine / You tell that little faggot call me faggot one more time." It's strange hearing lines like these in 2017, but it’s all part of the hilariously insecure persona he’s crafted for these songs. His lyrics are so pointedly sharp that if you didn't know any better, you’d assume he was an internet troll who decided to make some music about it. But if you dismissed him, you'd be missing out on one of the funniest and most straightforwardly 80s pop albums of the year, drawing inspiration from the likes of Rick Springfield or Eddie Money to great effect.
Yelle @ U Street Music Hall - 9/26/2017
The French are known for great dance-oriented musicians like Daft Punk, Phoenix, and Justice. Yelle is no stranger to this group. Starting with their breakout hit “Je veux te voir” in 2008, Yelle has been entertaining audiences on our side of the Atlantic to rave reviews. It’s been a few years since we've been graced with an album from the duo of Julie Budet and GrandMariner. All signs are pointing to an imminent album announcement very soon. Over the last few months, they've released three new songs, "Romeo,” "Interpasion," and “Ici & Maintenant (Here & Now)” that continue to bridge the pop and electronic gaps in new and exciting ways that span continents and languages.
OTHERFEELS Presents: Next Up @ 9:30 Club - 9/15/2017
Since the days of Black Broadway and DC punk, Washington, DC has always provided loads of options to catch up-and-coming acts. But in 2017, it seems like the options are limitless, whether it is in someone's house (Bathtub Republic, Casa Fulano, Paperhaus), a hollowed-out former restaurant (Uptown Art House), or any random spot across town (Sofar Sounds). And then, of course, you have the heavy hitters like Merriweather Post Pavilion and 9:30 Club. So it was surprising to hear that 9:30 Club offered a platform to Mount Pleasant DIY space OTHERFEELS - a prime Friday night slot, too.
Booker T. Jones @ Pearl Street Warehouse - 10/12/17
In 2009 Booker T. Jones teamed up with Drive-By Truckers and Neil Young on the scorching, Grammy-winning LP, Potato Hole. It was a late-career triumph that brought a whole new audience to Booker T’s music and reinvigorated his undeniable sound for the modern age. For those who were lucky enough to catch the music legend’s set at the Grand Opening of Pearl Street Warehouse in the Wharf District in Washington, DC, it was clear that Potato Hole, and the two albums he made after that, were no fluke. More importantly, the now seventy-two-year-old soul man shows no time of slowing down anytime soon.
All Things Go Fall Classic 2017 @ Union Market - 10/6/2017 - 10/8/2017
Last year, DC-based music blog All Things Go went bigger with the Fall Classic, their day-long music festival, by moving from Union Market to Yards Park and booking well-known talent like Sylvan Esso and Empire of the Sun. (Of course, the incessant rain caused some major mud pits and annoyances, but that’s beside the point and beyond their control.) But with the exception of local rapper Ace Cosgrove, the day was a synth-pop-heavy affair. This year, though, the organizers expanded the event to three days, and more interestingly, aimed to curate a more diverse lineup by day, which meant bringing in some diverse tastemakers from around town. With some know-how from electronic/dance tastemakers Nu Androids (who regularly host dance parties at spaces like Flash and Soundcheck) for Friday’s lineup and hip-hop/R&B-focused Broccoli City (who throw a DC music festival of their own in the spring) for Saturday, the All Things Go crew brought the music back to Union Market in the hopes of bringing the various music scenes together for one weekend.
Dent May @ Songbyrd - 9/10/2017
If you take the laid-back, nerdy charm of Rivers Cuomo and combine it with the retro-pop grooves of Tennis or even Foxygen (minus some of vocalist Sam France’s bombast), you would probably get something in the vein of Dent May. The musician from Oxford, Mississippi has made his name creating warm and breezy pop songs with a distinguishable throwback croon and falsetto. His latest outing Across the Multiverse has more indie-pop polish than ever before - his croon is as good as ever, and so is the instrumentation surrounding it. The space-themed setting and the lapel pin on the album cover says it all - it's an indie-pop escape, and he brought his flight of fancy to Songbyrd for an entertaining Sunday night.
Japanese Breakfast @ Black Cat - 9/7/2017
At this point, it’s safe to say that Japanese Breakfast is no longer just a curious side project of Little Big League’s Michelle Zauner. On night 1 of her headlining tour across America (and soon, Europe), Zauner explained that opening for other artists like Slowdive and Mitski has been great, but headlining in support of her well-received sophomore album Soft Sounds from Another Planet is even greater. "I've felt like a bridesmaid for the last year and a half - that's why I'm wearing white tonight."
Arcade Fire @ Capital One Arena - 9/16/2017
The penultimate song on The Suburbs was an inflection point for Arcade Fire. The track, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains),” featured an exuberant Regine Chassagne on vocals over a retro-glossy synth-pop track. It suggested that her real comfort zone was not in aspirational arena-filling anthems, but on the dance floor. Although the album went on to win Album of the Year at the Grammys, the sound that Arcade Fire was known for changed in line with the new musical times - more “Sprawl II” than “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels).” Their latest album Everything Now signaled that it wasn’t just a phase - the title track and other tracks are more danceable than anything in their back catalog but at the expense of the anthemic qualities of their earlier work.
Henry Jamison / Gracie and Rachel @ Songbyrd - 8/30/2017
NYC-based duo Gracie and Rachel joined with Vermont's Henry Jamison for a co-headlining night of orchestral pop and indie-folk music at Songbyrd.
Greta Van Fleet @ DC9 - 8/26/2017
Ah, to be 21 and selling out concerts across the country. The Michigan quartet consisting of brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar), and Sam (bass/keys) Kiszka and their close friend Danny Wagner (drums) have the boyish looks to attract younger, X-marked-on-their-hands fans, but there’s something else about them that is attracting fans of all ages. Take a listen to the first guitar lick and yell of “Highway Tune” from their debut EP Black Moon Rising and you'll likely come to the same conclusion that many others already have. It’s Led Zeppelin all over again, from the guitars to the Robert Plant-like vocals. There’s a bit more to them than that, but the favorable comparisons don't hurt for a band that’s just breaking out. With this initial buzz, they have handily been packing venues like DC9, their first headlining billing in DC.
Mattson 2 @ Songbyrd - 8/23/2017
For many, 2017 was the year they discovered the Mattson 2. The twins from Los Angeles, Jared and Johnathan Matson, had a chance encounter with Toro y Moi's Chaz Bundick. Touring with Bundick as openers created a unique rapport, one that led to the intriguing side project, Chaz Bundick Meets the Mattson 2. It was a laid-back album that flowed well with the sound Bundick crafted in What Now?, but it was clear that the guitars and drums of the Mattson 2 had a big part in that. With a mini-east coast tour kicking off at Songbyrd, they proved why they were sought after in the first place: because they're damn good at what they do
Bomba Estereo @ 9:30 Club - 8/17/2017
Time and again, Bomba Estéreo has brought the future of Latin American music to the rest of the world. Riding the wave of buzz thanks to their song "Fuego" in 2009, they were christened by countless publications as the next big thing in Latin music. It was well-deserved - the Bogota, Colombia band was turning traditional Colombian music on its head by melding it with elements of psych rock, reggaeton, and electronic music. Though they’ve made it to Howard Theatre three times in the last few years, they had never played 9:30 Club until now. Less than a week after their latest LP release Ayo, they played to a sold-out crowd that was ready to party like the Colombians do.
Little Dragon @ 9:30 Club - 8/8/2017
Sometimes, it’s hard to separate Little Dragon - the band - from Little Dragon - the feature on another artist’s track. For years, vocalist Yukimi Nagano has made the rounds with musical tastemakers like DJ Shadow, Gorillaz, and Big Boi to give their songs that extra flourish and indie cred. Though there are lots of sounds indebted to Nagano's standout voice, the Swedish band has garnered a lot of well-deserved recognition of their own. From their 2007 self-titled debut to their latest outing, the 80s-influenced Season High, they have toured the world and pushed the synth-R&B genre forward time and again. At their two-night stint at 9:30 Club, they once again proved their prowess in melding genres into a sound that's uniquely their own. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have a charismatic singer like Nagano at the helm.
Mew @ 9:30 Club - 8/5/2017
For 18 years, Mew has been a band with arena rock tendencies and indie rock workmanship that has uplifted fans all over the world. The much-lauded Danish trio spent six years crafting their previous album +- but surprised fans by releasing Visuals in April, a much quicker two-year turnaround. While Visuals did away with some of the glossy production of their previous album, their desire to create dazzling sights and sounds that convey hope and joy hasn’t gone away. In fact, on the visual front, they were as strong as ever at 9:30 Club.
Loi Loi, Re-TROS, Body Puzzle @ Dew Drop Inn - 7/24/2017
Local DIY organizers DCDIT put on a show at the Dew Drop Inn that featured two local musical acts as well as one from Beijing. First up was Body Puzzle, the musical project of DC-based artist Anthony Pirog. He composed the sheet music for his five-piece band, creating an intriguing musical journey that took listeners through twisting and unexpected paths. Their musical influences were all over the place, with crime noir-like mysterious sax solos at times and dreamlike, woozy guitars at others. Body Puzzle is a new project from Pirog, so new music is incoming.
Jamila Woods @ Songbyrd - 7/29/2017
Jamila Woods has an impressive resume: Brown University graduate, associate artistic director of the non-profit organization Young Chicago Authors, and rising R&B star. After making a name for herself singing the chorus of Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment’s “Sunday Candy” and Chance the Rapper’s “Blessings,” she released her debut album HEAVN exclusively on SoundCloud through Chicago label Closed Sessions. The album was so well-received that she has since signed to record label Jagjaguwar, who will be jointly re-releasing HEAVN alongside her original label Closed Sessions. With the impending re-release, she embarked on a July tour that included stops at Pitchfork Music Festival, Panorama Festival, and a sold-out DC crowd at Songbyrd.
Tank & the Bangas @ Songbyrd - 7/21/2017
Tank & the Bangas have gone viral, and they have NPR to thank. Though the New Orleans band only has one album under their wings, the independently-released 2013 album Think Tank, a coveted spot in NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series catapulted them to Internet fame. As the winners of the 2017 Tiny Desk Contest, a nationwide talent search for the best band that hasn’t broken through yet, their Tiny Desk Concert has been viewed more than 1.5 million times and counting. DC was quick to snap up what precious few tickets were available once Songbyrd announced the band’s concert. And amongst all the hype surrounding the band, their stellar performance made them some new fans that have reason to be very excited about the band’s bright future.
Lake Street Dive @ Lincoln Theatre - 7/19/2017
For your soul-tinged pop music fix, one of the first bands you should turn to is Lake Street Dive. Thanks to some well-deserved word of mouth, most notably a 2012 cover of Michael Jackson’s “I Want You Back,” the quartet of Rachel Price on vocals, Bridget Kearney on stand-up bass, Mike Olson on guitar and trumpet, and John Calabrese on drums have taken their act from the Boston Conservatory of Art to venues around the world, including both 9:30 Club and Wolf Trap in the DC area last year. The quartet returned to DC with a sold-out set at Lincoln Theatre that included old favorites, sing-along covers, and even a few new songs from their still-unannounced fourth album.