The definitive record of live music in Washington, D.C. and beyond for the 2010’s
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Allen Stone @ 9:30 Club - 11/21/2018
Allen Stone’s Thanksgiving Eve show at 9:30 Club was full of gratitude. Touring ahead of the release of his fourth album (release date, TBA), the soulful Washingtonian—the state of—performed soulful favorites and new singles “Brown Eyed Lover,” “Taste Of You,” and “Warriors.”
Laura Gibson @ DC9 - 11/26/2018
“So much work and thought went into every turn of phrase and every tiny shimmer of sound.” That is undoubtedly true listening to Laura Gibson’s fifth studio album Goners. It also added to the punchline when Gibson told the audience at her DC9 show that European press on her recent tour struggled to find a translation of the slang term she used as a title and pronounced in a more, well, juvenile fashion. It’s a funny reminder that you can control a lot of things in life, but you can’t control the world’s response—even when you’re careful.
Freddie Gibbs @ U Street Music Hall - 11/27/18
Freddie Gibbs aka the Baby Face Killa’s roots lie in Gary, Indiana, but the Midwest veteran sounds like he’s plucked from the tree of hip-hop’s most influential artists from various regions. The gangsta grit of Three Six Mafia sprinkled with the southern flair of Scarface, and lyrical prowess of Ice Cube are traits that make Freddie Gibbs extremely versatile in his craft.
Ólafur Arnalds @ Lincoln Theatre - 11/14/2018
Throughout life, we are often given the opportunity to witness events and experiences that transform and shape us, and what Icelandic musician Ólafur Arnalds is accomplishing on his re:member tour is one of those opportunities. Arnalds began his set at Washington, D.C.’s Lincoln Theatre in silence with two spotlights highlighting his seat at the grand piano. Ever so gently, the darkness of the room shifted to light as a symphony of sound resonated throughout the historic venue.
Wild Nothing @ 9:30 Club - 11/18/2018
Wild Nothing’s return back to the 9:30 Club on November 18th was their first time headlining the beloved venue, and they made sure to show their gratitude in the form of a surreal, atmospheric 90 minute-long set.
Tash Sultana @ The Anthem - 11/21/2018
Two years ago Tash Sultana played a sold out show at Rock & Roll Hotel. Now, the Melbourne native is playing the much larger Anthem but still providing fans with an intimate musical experience.
(Sandy) Alex G @ Black Cat - 11/15/2018
Alex Giannascoli may be the brains behind the project, but his live sound would be nothing without the musicians he has brought along on tour to play with.
Caroline Rose @ Miracle Theatre - 11/17/2018
The wildly-entertaining Caroline Rose closed out her tour at DC’s Miracle Theatre with kazoo solos, Kum & Go shirts, a chihuahua, and a giant bonfire. Interested yet?
![Daughters @ Beat Kitchen - 11/17/2018 [Chicago]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6350538c4e985848148c1691/1669732689158-PAQDQVAPM9B3NMJ2DSNS/Daughters-10.jpg)
Daughters @ Beat Kitchen - 11/17/2018 [Chicago]
At the first of two sold-out nights at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen, spastic noise rock outfit Daughters transported some 200 fans back to the mid-oughts. While the vast majority made it out of Beat Kitchen on this night unbloodied, none who entered the room left dry — either by their own body’s accord or the sweat of their fellow attendees.
Marcus Strickland @ City Winery DC - 10/26/2018
Jazz saxophonist Marcus Strickland and his ensemble Twi-Life brought a powerful groove and thoughtful exploration of the linkages between African and American music forms to the City Winery on November 20th, in a celebration of his new record, People of the Sun. Strickland’s musical vision accentuates the connectivity between black musicianship on both sides of the Atlantic, from Mali to the American South, including the intersection of jazz with soul and hip-hop and blues textures.
![Cursive @ Thalia Hall - 11/15/2018 [Chicago]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6350538c4e985848148c1691/1669732971315-HN4OZ7I26KV5X0VDJ1JD/Cursive_111518_%C2%A9AlexSchelldorf-12.jpg)
Cursive @ Thalia Hall - 11/15/2018 [Chicago]
Cursive frontman Tim Kasher formerly called the Windy City home, which made the band’s return visit to Thalia Hall a homecoming after more than three years away.
And truly, what a Chicago-ass show it was.
Openers Meatwave and Campdogzz also hail from the 3rd largest city in America and set the tone for the evening, a night so teeming with the working spirit of the Midwest, one could practically taste the Malört in the air. Though Thalia felt a touch roomy–it was, after all, a brutally, unseasonably cold Thursday–fellow aged emos showed up despite their day jobs and an 8:30 show time to catch Cursive on their US tour in support of their new album Vitriola, the first out on the band’s own label, 15 Passenger.
Ron Gallo @ 9:30 Club - 11/21/2018
Ron Gallo hosted a cosmic celebration for everyone and everything last Tuesday at DC9 Nightclub. His set started with birthday cake for someone wearing an over-sized skull mask. It seemed spontaneous but was so thematically on point for considering his most recent album, Stardust Birthday Party, that it’s possible the giant skull has been traveling the east coast throughout the tour.
Billie Eilish @ 9:30 Club - 11/7/2018
The Billie Eilish concert experience is as unique and incomparable as Eilish herself, which explains why she was able to easily sell out both an early and a late show at 9:30 Club. And even more impressively, she doesn’t even have a debut album out yet.
Tenacious D @ The Anthem - 11/7/2018
As long as they’ve got their acoustic guitars to thrash on, Tenacious D will always be there to entertain the masses, irreverent and hard-rocking as ever.
St. Lucia @ 9:30 Club - 11/6/2018
St. Lucia played their second DC show of the evening to a packed crowd on election night, bringing synths, stage production, and all around good vibes. The band kicked off the show with a build up into “September” from their 2013 album, When the Night.
Christine and the Queens @ 9:30 Club - 11/4/2018
Yes, she owes a lot of her show and her latest album to the likes of Michael/Janet Jackson, but Letissier’s poised delivery paired with the choreographed and sometimes aggressive dance sequences was refreshing, unique, and damn fun to witness.
Big Data @ Songbyrd - 10/25/2018
For those that like their catchy tracks with a bit of trepidation peppered in, there was no better place to be on Thursday night than with Big Data.
The Revolution @ Fillmore Silver Spring - 10/26/2018
Most stars aren’t born, they’re carefully crafted fiction. They matter only as a measure of distraction if the lie that got them there doesn’t result in some kind of long-lasting “good.” And Rock and Roll has seen its share of philistines and false prophets. But that wasn’t Prince. So when he died in 2017, there was a hole blown in the universe in the same place that was still only just filling in from the loss of David Bowie.
Mitski @ Vic Theatre (Chicago) - 10/25/2018
In just a few short years, singer-songwriter Mitski Miyawaki has gone from playing a basement in Maryland in 2014 at the home of former D.C.-area favorites Two Inch Astronaut (RIP) to successive packed shows the next two years at DC9, Rock and Roll Hotel, and the festival circuit. For her latest world tour, she’s sold out 30+ dates well in advance. No matter where she plays, it feels like the throngs grow exponentially each time and her set at the beautiful Vic Theatre in Chicago was no different.
Mountain Man @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue - 10/22/2018
Nothing is more reassuring than a group who hasn't toured in six years performing as if nothing has changed. While mentioning that their hour-long set was almost over, Molly Sarle proclaimed "We used to play for 30 minutes, and 15 minutes of it used to be about our periods."
See? Just as humorous as ever.