The definitive record of live music in Washington, D.C. and beyond for the 2010’s
Month / Year
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
KING @ U Street Music Hall - 10/20/16
Nostalgia loves to rear its head in many ways. Scanning the current musical landscape, it becomes clear that the 80s and 90s have been in vogue. Although we are long removed from the years of TLC, Destiny’s Child, and Cameo, Los Angeles’s KING recalls such groups. The trio took the highly-receptive and nearly sold-out U Street Music Hall crowd on a nostalgia that perfectly emulated the sounds of bygone musical eras.
Aaron Abernathy w/Nat Turner @ Tropicalia - 10/20/16
On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali fought George Foreman in the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” boxing match in Kinshasa, Zaire. Regarding the fight, Ali’s loquacious corner-man Drew “Bundini” Brown noted about Ali fighting in Africa that the bout symbolized the icons going “f]rom the root to the fruit, that's where everything started at. This is God's act, and you are part of it. This is no Hollywood set, this is real.”
Washington, DC-based Aaron Abernathy and his backing band Nat Turner’s performance at quaint, underground Nation’s Capital venue Tropicalia was as rooted in music’s historical traditions and as long as four “Rumbles in the Jungle,” plus similarly as “real” in presentation. Just like Ali, at the end of his 90-minute set, the soulful singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/composer who has just released his first, critically-acclaimed album Monologue emerged exhausted, yet victorious in winning over a jam-packed room of R & B fanatics.
Neon Indian @ 9:30 Club - 10/7/16
Friday nights were meant for dancing. The work week was through, the weekend had just begun, and the 9:30 Club was open late so Classixx and Neon Indian could play great synth-pop/disco house tracks. Both bands have a bit of overlap with one another, so it made sense that both groups would embark on a tour and play a sold-out 9:30 Club.
The LA-based duo known as Classixx have made a name for themselves with their dancefloor-ready songs, recruiting singers like Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos, LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang, How To Dress Well’s Tom Krell, and even T-Pain on tracks that predate the tropical house music movement, but embody many of the genre’s ideals - laid-back, fun songs that anyone can groove to.
How To Dress Well @ U Street Music Hall - 10/6/16
Tom Krell is a very emotive man in every sense of the word. The How To Dress Well singer has been courting alt-R&B lovers for a few years now with his heartfelt lyrics, but with his latest album, Care, he honed in on the emotion of joy with this glossier collection of songs. And at U Street Music Hall, he made sure that everyone in the room was having just as much fun as he was.
2016 All Things Go Fall Classic @ Yards Park, Washington, DC
At a time when music festivals are appearing out of every corner, it’s nice when organizers know the demographic they’re aiming for. The DC-based music blog All Things Go put together an event that emphasized all things synth-pop: bands that love a bit of electronic music to go with their guitars, drums, and vocals. And with the move from Union Market to Yards Park, they ran into issues both predictable and unexpected, but things are looking up after the third iteration of the All Things Go Fall Classic.
James Blake @ Lincoln Theatre - 10/1/16
Leave it to an English singer how to show Americans how to do electro-soul the right way. With two critically-acclaimed albums and a highly-anticipated third album, The Colour in Anything, on the way, crooner James Blake had no problem selling out the Lincoln Theatre the same day tickets went on sale. And it’s easy to see why: His one-of-a-kind vocals combined with live instrumentation, an LED backdrop, and the occasional chest-rattling bass made the Lincoln Theatre show a multi-sensory experience.
Glass Animals @ Echostage - 9/25/16
The unique jungle-inspired sounds of UK band Glass Animals’s debut “Zaba” struck a chord with many people, so much so that they sold out 9:30 Club last year and played for an even larger crowd this year at Echostage. In support of their sophomore album, the well-received How to Be a Human Being, the band put on a high-energy performance deserving of Echostage’s 6,000-capacity crowd.
Bob Moses @ 9:30 Club - 9/29/16
EDM is a catch-all genre title that has caught a lot of grief over the years. Some of it well-deserved.
The genre has its share of lazy button-pressing DJs and unnecessarily over-the-top antics. But childhood friends Tom Howie and Jimmy Valance, collectively known as Bob Moses, combine the energy and structure of house music with live instrumentation and conventional songwriting, providing a solution for those longing for a mature take on house music. Performing on a spotlight-adorned stage with a full set of instruments, their performance filled the room with energy that can’t be replicated by a DJ just telling the crowd repeatedly to “put their hands in the airrrrrrrr!”
Young The Giant @ 9:30 Club - 9/13/16
One could say that demand was higher than expected - after all, not many bands can say they've been able to sell out 9:30 Club three nights in a row. However, when you have alt-rock mainstays Young the Giant and Ra Ra Riot on the billing, it becomes much easier to fathom.
Appearing on the flag-adorned stage, Young the Giant used night 2 of their three-night 9:30 Club stay to play their latest album, Home of the Strange, in its entirety, saving older songs for the encore. They had the crowd’s attention from the start thanks to singer Sameer Gadhia’s fervent moves on stage and guitarist Eric Cannata’s equally-energetic strumming.
Julien Baker @ U Street Music Hall - 9/12/16
“You guys are really attentive. Is everything okay?”
U Street Music Hall has seen its fair share of DJs and loud rock bands over the years, but it’s rare that it receives a quiet and powerful singer-songwriter, let alone a quiet crowd. Making waves at SXSW and a Tiny Desk Concert released earlier this year, Tennessee’s Julien Baker played songs from her debut album, “Sprained Ankle”, for the very attentive fans at U Hall.