Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Music: HEALTH @ Rock & Roll Hotel 7/24/10


courtesy of HEALTH.

As I predicted last week, Los Angeles noise outfit HEALTH smashed Rock & Roll Hotel into a million tiny pieces on Saturday night with a spectacular show of guitar and drum demolition. Constantly shifting gears between raw noise, power electronics, and their unique brand of danceable noise-pop HEALTH kept the audience gleefully off-balance for the duration. Their set was an audio killdozer, rolling over the crowd with its well-timed dual percussion, mad scientist guitar sounds, and deranged vocal manipulation. It was the most joyous and inventive celebration of controlled noise that I have seen come through DC so far this year.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Music: Star Wars In Concert @ Verizon Center 7/17/10

Star Wars: In Conert Verizon Center 7/17/10
photo by Don Whiteside.

Earlier today you may have read my interview with David Iskra, the curator of the Star Wars: In Concert traveling props and costume exhibit. While it is not necessary to read that article, I do suggest reading it first for two reasons. One, this article is a review of the musical half of Star Wars: In Concert experience; all of our exhibit photos and most of the information about the traveling exhibit are contained in this morning’s post. Two, the prop exhibit greets the audience as they arrive for the concert and provides at least an hour of entertainment before the music even begins. To better put yourself in an attendee’s shoes, I suggest checking out our exhibit photos to get yourself ready for the adventure that lay ahead!

The original Star Wars trilogy is composed of three of the most beloved films of all time. The prequel trilogy that followed many years later is made up of three of the most divisive. Two common threads connect these six films and Star Wars: In Concert is an event designed to celebrate them. First and foremost, the event is about celebrating the brilliant music of composer John Williams; who scored all six films over a 30-year period. Even the most critical fan must acknowledge that Williams’ music is the most beautiful, artistic thing to come out of the prequel trilogy and that his themes from the original trilogy rank among the most memorable and effective film scoring of all time. Second, the event is about the lineage of characters that populate the six films and the human themes that they evoke in the viewer. Another Planet Touring created Star Wars: In Concert to celebrate John Williams’ music and to explore how it was as important in creating these characters as the writing and acting. It is a touring multimedia event unlike any other film music event I have ever attended. It was a great afternoon full of nostalgia, visual delight, and thrilling music.

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Adventures, Alexandria, Arlington, Downtown, Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Foggy Bottom, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Music, Night Life, Penn Quarter, Petworth, The Great Outdoors, The Hill, The Mall, We Love Weekends

We Love Weekends: July 24-25

Photo courtesy of

courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Rachel: Well, I’m fresh off a stint in Nashville to audition for American Idol. It didn’t go my way but I learned a lot and am ready to rock out harder than ever before after being “cut” from the program before ever seeing any air-time. I’ve got a gig booked for Saturday night at the Tonic Lounge (located at 2036 G Street NW, near the Foggy Bottom Metro). I’m not the only entertainment on tap, several artists from the DC area will take the stage too. So grab a drink at the bar, stay for the tunes, and if you’re a Glee fan I guarantee a solid new cover added to my repertoire from the second half of last season’s show. Not gonna tell you what it is, you’ll have to stop by to hear it. Show starts at 8 p.m. with a $5 cover. I’ll also have albums on sale with proceeds going to the National Kidney Foundation in honor of my late father who received a heart transplant in 1999. Hope to see you there! It should be a rockin’ good time.

Patrick: Weeks of no social life ends this weekend. Noises Off! opens this Saturday at Keegan Theatre in Dupont Circle. As the stage manager I’ll be in the booth playing the role of incompetent sound technician #1. No seriously, come see the show and watch the actors freak out at me during Act III. The show will run through August so I hope to see everybody there eventually. While I’m running the show I’ll also be trying to figure out where to eat and drink before and after performances- anybody have any suggestions for places I should check out around 17th Street?

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Entertainment, Interviews, Music, People, Special Events, We Love Music

An Interview with David Iskra, Star Wars: In Concert Exhibit Curator

Star Wars: In Concert
photo by Don Whiteside.

Star Wars invaded Washington DC last Saturday when George Lucas and Another Planet Touring brought their phenomenal multimedia road-show, Star Wars: In Concert, to the Verizon Center for two very special concerts. The concerts featured a massive orchestra and choir performing selections from John Williams’ historic run as score composer of the six Star Wars films.

Another major element of this event is a traveling exhibit of original props and costumes from all six Star Wars films. The exhibit filled the hallways of the Verizon center with exotic costumes and strange creatures from a galaxy far, far, away. My review of the concert portion of this event will go live later this afternoon. But first, here is a transcript of an interview I conducted with David Iskra, the curator of the Star Wars: In Concert traveling exhibit.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music

The Winning Ticket: Seu Jorge and Almaz

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week’s prize is a pair of tickets to see Seu Jorge & Almaz on July 27th at the 9:30 Club. (Please note this is an early show: 6pm doors).

Seu Jorge is well known as a brilliant, Brazilian singer-songwriter and solo performer. His soulful, samba-infused songs sparked a revival of Brazilian music and influence in popular music in the early 00’s. In 2010 Seu Jorge is once again catching the world’s attention with his new band Alamaz; featuring Seu Jorge on vocals, drummer Pupillo, guitarist Lucio Maia, with bassist Antonio Pinto. Their self-titled debut album drops in the U.S. on the same day as their show at the 9:30 Club. I wouldn’t be too surprised if they treat the DC crowd to an extra special performance to celebrate the arrival of their new long-player.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

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Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Daily Feed

Blurt Magazine’s “Best Kept Secret”: D.C.’s The Public Good

Photo courtesy of The Public Good
Photo courtesy of The Public Good.

One of Rock’s Best Kept Secrets,” according to Blurt Magazine, is D.C.’s very own The Public Good.

The quartet featuring the one-time nucleus of the North Carolina band The Popes rocks hard while writing songs with wit and empathy regarding the highs and lows of everyday life as a big kid aka being an adult.

The Public Good will be gracing D.C. with their stage presence on July 29 for an early 8:30 p.m. show opening for North Carolina’s Saint Solitude with fellow D.C. band Sweet Interference and indie band Spouse rounding out the Thursday night bill at The Velvet Lounge.

Doors open at 7:30. Show starts at 9 and is 21+ with an $8 cover charge.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Music: The Dead Weather @ 9:30 Club 7/13/10

The Dead Weather @ 9:30 Club 7/13/10
Andrew Markowitz photography.

Last Tuesday, The Dead Weather hit the 9:30 Club stage like a sonic hurricane. It is almost a week later and I am still completely, utterly, hopelessly gobsmacked by their incredible concert. I have been trying to process their over-the-top, in-your-face stage presence and pitch-perfect, rock-n-roll transcendence for days now; my entire music-loving spirit is still humming from witnessing this resonant performance. It was a performance that tapped into that deep-down love of rock-n-roll; that passion that dwells in the chest of every red-blooded music fan whose pulse beats to the rhythm. The Dead Weather put on a show that was a colossal celebration of the leather-clad, hair-in-eyes rock image and jaw-drop inducing, instrument-torture creativity. Their whole live presentation combined music and image so perfectly that it is impossible to imagine one without the other. Together these elements combined on-stage to create a brilliant set of music that I will remember for a very long time.

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Entertainment, Life in the Capital, Music, The Daily Feed

D.C. Gets Shafted On Paste Magazine’s 50 New State Songs List

Photo courtesy of
‘Memorial, reflected’
courtesy of ‘(afm)’

I realize D.C. is not a state, but it would’ve been nice for Paste Magazine to at least mention D.C. in their list of suggested state songs for the 21st century. A simple line stating “We would designate a song for D.C. but it is not a state,” would suffice. But no mention? Uncool, Paste Magazine. Uncool.

The list has some winners including a nice spread from Ryan Adams, M. Ward, Sufjan Stevens, and Ben Folds — but D.C. doesn’t even get mentioned as being in existence.

So let’s play a game in the comments: What would YOU pick as D.C.’s “state” song of today?

My vote goes to the DC remix of the Jay-Z/Alicia Keyes “Empire State of Mind” WLDC author Rebecca found online earlier this year by Eezy Money entitled “Capital Conscience.”

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Music: The Smashing Pumpkins @ Ram’s Head Live 7/12/10

SP @ Ram's Head Live #3 photo by Michael Darpino.

The Smashing Pumpkins (2010 edition) performed at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore on Monday night. The show was part of the current ‘small venue’ tour to promote Billy Corgan’s latest free-on-the-internet Smashing Pumpkins’ project/album, “Teargarden by Kaleidyscope”. The small venue tour also seems designed to generate the buzz of exclusivity for shows that are meant to erase the memory of the 2008 anniversary tour that swayed in quality from disappointment to fiasco. As both a promotional tour for the new album (it got me downloading it*) and a do-over for the infamous 2008 “shitshow“, Monday night’s concert was a success. The show was less a nostalgia trip (although some classics were performed) than it was an introduction to the new line-up, an exploration of the band’s more recent output, and an ego-stroke for The Smashing Pumpkins’ perpetually wounded band-leader Billy Corgan.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music

The Winning Ticket: Chromeo

Chromeo @ 9:30 Club

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Chromeo perform at the 9:30 Club on Monday, July 26th.

You wouldn’t think a couple of guys called P-Thugg and Dave 1 would be Hall & Oates reincarnate, but that is exactly how the men who are Chromeo have been described in the press. To embrace this comparison, Chromeo went so far as to do a full set with Daryl Hall at Bonaroo recently! These electro-funk Lotharios hail from the sexy Great White North and are spreading their unique brand of synth seduction across America with fellow electrolytes Holy Ghost and Telephoned in tow.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For the rules of this giveaway…
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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Music: Faith No More @ Mann Music Center 7/3/10

Faith No More @ Mann Music Center 2
courtesy of Marcus Darpino.

As much as I would like it to be, Washington DC is not the live-music center of the universe. Sometimes to see that special show I have to hop on a jet, castaway on a boat, or hit the road as I did this past weekend to catch one of the limited East Coast reunion shows by Faith No More. These shows were limited enough (only 3) and special enough (a hell-froze-over reunion) that we thought some of our DC readers might be interested in reading about the one I attended at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia last Saturday.

When considering Faith No More and the quality of concert they put on, it is the little details that make the difference. The little details like: Mike Patton riding a fan like a horse while singing Michael Jackson’s ‘Ben’; an unexpected cover of Vangelis’ ‘Chariots of Fire’ theme; song verses done entirely in flawless Portuguese on a whim; and a singing, daredevil, strip-tease atop a 30-foot rope-ladder. In other words, when Faith No More perform live there really are no such things as little details; everything about a Faith No More concert is as huge and in-your-face as it can possibly get. From Mike Patton’s epic vocal range and deranged persona; to Roddy Bottum’s impenetrable, wall of synth-keyboards; to Billy Gould and Mike Bordin’s spastic funk; and Jon Hudson’s heroic guitar riffs Faith No More’s live sound is so gigantic it is almost absurd. And it would be absurd if they weren’t such a tight and overly-talented group of individuals. Saturday night’s concert in Philadelphia was a success on every level that treated a few thousand fans to the stellar, albeit brief, return of an old favorite and left us all longing for more from these SF Bay-area originals.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

The Winning Ticket: The Dead Weather

The Dead Weather
image courtesy of The Dead Weather.

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

We are giving away tickets to another scorching hot show this week! This week’s prize: a pair of tickets to catch The Dead Weather at their sold out show at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, July 13th.

Not that this Jack White/Alison Mosshart super-group really needs any introduction to those readers who would kill for these tix; but for those passer-bys that might want to roll the dice this week, I’ll say that The Dead Weather are a formidable foursome cranking out some of the very best and weirdest down-home, bad-mutha, rock-n-roll this side of the Mississippi. Masterminded by Jack White of The White Stripes, supported by multi-instrumentalists Dean Fertita of QOTSA and Jack Lawrence of The Greenhornes, and led by a reinvented femme-fatale, bad-ass in Alison Mosshart of The Kills; The Dead Weather have made two killer albums that offer a danger-cool sound all their own. Their sound is sweaty, bible-belt, sinning preachers; paint-peeled rocking chairs on rickety porches; sneaked belts of whiskey behind wood-sheds; Jim Thompson novel climaxes along thorny creek-beds littered with rusty Studebaker husks. In other words, their music is a dark, sexy, humid swirl of southern-tinged rock awesomeness and winning these tickets will be your passport to The Dead Weather’s night of swampy, foot-stomp, crazy.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

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Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed

Rachel Levitin Live at Mid City Caffe


Photo by Shea Mulcahy

When I’m not covering Nats baseball or wandering about the District looking for a stellar concert to catch, I’m playing music.

Some of you might have noticed I played the Columbia Heights Community Market this past weekend. I do understand that the holiday weekend left most of you unable to attend and while I would’ve loved to catch up with any and all of our faithful We Love DC readers, I forgive you for retreating to various beaches or scouring town for fun Fourth festivities.

Luckily, there is another opportunity tonight for a meet up and gab session.

I’ll be performing live from Mid City Caffe at 7 p.m. this evening. Never been to Mid City? No problem. It’s near the U Street Metro and is located at 1626 14th Street NW.

This will be the second show in my current cause to raise organ donation awareness around the greater DMV area. Two of my albums including the new compilation album  “The Bourbon Taster EP” and my my 2005 debut album “Come As You Are” will be on sale with proceeds being donating to the National Kidney Foundation and Donate Life campaign.

The show is free, donations are encouraged if you feel like getting involved in a good cause, and otherwise the set list will make for quite the intimate evening.

Hope to see you there!

Music, We Love Music

Delta Spirit loves DC, and DC loves them back

Photo courtesy of
‘A Little Bit Softer Now’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

As far as I can tell, there’s a guy at every concert, ever, who takes it upon himself to yell “Freebird.” That Guy is always there, trying for a chuckle, being ignored, hoping, just hoping, that the band will hear his plea. That Guy, like everyone else who saw Delta Spirit at the 9:30 Club on Saturday night, had the time of his life this weekend. Because Delta Spirit’s just that kind of band: Americana rock shot straight through the decades that reminds your soul what fun is supposed to feel like. You want “Freebird?” Yeah, sure, they’ll give you “Freebird.” Because it’s fun, and that’s what their show is all about.

I got handed a copy of Delta Spirit’s last album, “Ode to Sunshine,” in 2008 (put ’em on my Top 5 that year, too). The music-obsessed friend who passed it along is probably personally responsible for a few dozen of the fans at Saturday’s show: each of us spread the word (over)enthusiastically to another few people, and I like to imagine the fandom spread across the city from person to person, like the flu in winter, only better. I tell you this by way of explaining that yes, I am a huge fan, and no, this is not an unbiased review of Saturday’s show. Based on the limited sample of fans-who-also-tweet, I am not alone in having put this one high on the list of best shows ever. (Karon Flage, whose photos you see illustrating this post, took my extra ticket on a whim never having heard of the band, and she left a convert, too.)

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Downtown, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, Night Life, Special Events, The Features, We Love Music

We Love Music: July Music Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘American Flags in Bensonhurst’
courtesy of ’emilydickinsonridesabmx’

Besides birthday’s in general, the Fourth of July is pretty much my favorite holiday. It’s a much needed mid-summer mini mental vaycay that recharges those brain batteries over a long weekend. Then, it’s on to the long awaited arrival of the dog days of summer.

We’ve got a simmering slew of fun shows you might not have necessarily found on the front page of Ticketmaster for the month of July. They’re guaranteed to give you some solid summer memories should you choose to partake, so check ’em out! Continue reading

Music, The Daily Feed

Photos: Welcome back, Fort Reno.

Photo courtesy of

courtesy of ‘erin m’

I love Fort Reno. And I don’t mean in some, “Oh man, that’s a great event” sort of way. I mean…well, you remember that scene in “Say Anything” where John Cusack is holding up the boom box outside Ione Skye’s window? That’s how I feel about Fort Reno, the summer concert series that kicked off Thursday night. Fort Reno to me is summer. It is grass. It is picnics. It is kids and dogs and ice cream trucks and glorious sunsets and, most importantly, it is music.

Thursday’s show became the de facto kick-off for this year’s series after the threat of rain canceled last Monday’s concert, and a drummer’s broken arm forced the usual trio of bands to become a twosome–let’s hope that’s it for the curse-like events this year. The two bands, Gangland Buries Its Own and Sleeper Agent, stepped up admirably and gave a great welcome to this year’s concerts. After the jump, photos of the picnics,  the people, the glorious sunset and the music.

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Entertainment, Music, Special Events, The Features, We Love Music

We Love Music: N Street Village Night Sessions

Photo courtesy of
‘oldmic’
courtesy of ‘miss_rogue’

A woman by the name of Barbara Parker was honored this spring by N Street Village, a group empowering homeless and low-income women to claim their highest quality of life through service and advocacy. Parker was among three strong-willed honorees in April by N Street for their moving and motivational life stories.

N Street Village Assistant Director of Development Carline Meehan, who spoke to Parker last Friday after she performed live at the Rock ‘N Roll hotel alongside her friends from the N Street’s in-house choir Bethany’s Women of Praise for the first N Street Village Night Session Thursday, illuminated the night’s story.

“She was really glowing [about the performance]. I mean I could just tell that she had really enjoyed being on stage and felt a good energy in the room and good connection with the people.”

Parker is one voice amongst a company of female vocalists making up Bethany’s Women of Praise. This particular assembly of music lovers and melody chanters came together at the same place. N Street Village is what they have in common and The Holster Project is what made their “live on stage” moment become a reality. Continue reading

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

The Winning Ticket: She & Him


courtesy of She & Him.

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week we have a hot pair of tickets up for grabs! We are giving away a pair of tickets to the sold out She & Him show at the 9:30 Club on Wednesday, July 7th.

She & Him is one of those acts whose charm is impossible to resist. Between Zooey Deschanel’s 60’s pixie, throw-back voice and M. Ward’s magical guitar playing and classic pop arrangements, their music melts even the most jaded listener’s heart. It also doesn’t hurt that Deschanel makes for an incredibly cute front-woman. She & Him’s videos are ridiculously good-humored and adorable. Their albums are the musical equivalent of laying in the grass and watching the breeze tickle dandelions. It is no surprise that this show is sold out, as people everywhere fall in love with She & Him’s simple, effective pop approach. The music of She & Him is a refreshing treat and their show at the 9:30 Club next week will provide the perfect pop escape from a hot, July evening in DC.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For the rules of this giveaway…
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Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, The Daily Feed

A WLDC Author + Columbia Heights Farmers Market = Win!

Photo courtesy of
‘CH Farmer’s Market Gelato’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

A new farmers market in Columbia Heights opened its grounds to the public June 5th at 14th and Park, across from Giant, Target, and Tivoli Theater.

Fellow WLDC author Donna C. filled us in on the delicious details including the market’s spread of  fresh veggies, fruits, meats, breads, cheeses, flowers and “beat-the-heat” gelato all grown and raised within 150 miles of DC.

If there’s anything I’ve learned since moving to the District it’s that we love to celebrate inaugural events — presidents, baseball teams, and in this case farmer’s markets.

What do I mean?

This is the inaugural season of the Columbia Heights Market Place and in honor of trying to get people out for the produce and neighborhood comradery, the market place group have grabbed local entertainment from around town to put on a show for you while you shop.

The entertainment on tap for Saturday features: Cherae Mabry from Yoga on the Plaza (10 a.m.), Salsa dance group Conga Beat in between acts, Monty Wells (11 a.m.), the DoS Jazz Ensemble (12:15 p.m.), and then myself (1 p.m.) to close out the day!

Look forward to seeing you all there!

Note: If you’d like to support a worthwhile cause while visiting the market this Saturday, I will have two albums on sale. Proceeds from all albums sales will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation and Donate Life campaign to raise organ donation awareness in honor of my late father Steven Levitin who was a heart transplant recipient in 1999.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music

We Love Music: Wavves & Cloud Nothings @ RNR Hotel 6/25/10

Wavves @ RNR Hotel 6/25/10
courtesy of Wavves.

While the early-week, DC-music, blogosphere is atwitter with tales of Courtney Love’s awful on-stage antics at the 9:30 Club on Sunday night, Friday night’s Wavves show seems to be completely off radar. This is interesting to me, because Wavves mastermind, Nathan Williams, is an equally volatile personality known for on-stage meltdowns and fisticuffs of his own. In fact, before the weekend began, the quality of the Friday night Waaves’ concert at Rock & Roll Hotel was as much in question as was which Courtney Love would appear at the 9:30 Club on Sunday. When faced with the decision of which concert to attend (there was no way I was going to sandwich my weekend with potential cluster-f*cks) I used a simple calculus to aid my decision making: Courtney Love is a miserable, over-the-hill, waste of space who only ever put out one good album; while Nathan Williams of Wavves is an unpredictable, indie-genius on the rise, who cranks out infectious tunes as frequently as normal people draw breath. For me the decision was easy; both shows had the potential to be spectacular personality-based failures, but only Wavves had the possible upside of also delivering brilliant music.

Nathan Williams did not have a nervous break-down on-stage, nor did he indulge himself as the star of his own iPhone-shot reality-show on Friday night. He did talk quite a bit between songs, but then so did his rhythm section. Their collective antics were less delusional rants and more about bratty fun. Wavves did more than hold it together on Friday night. They showed up with their snotty, punk attitude and tore through an hour of great, noise-wrapped pop-music. They were preceded by another blog buzz-band in Cloud Nothings from Cleveland, who also put on an excellent set of bedroom-recording inspired tunes. Both bands combined to put on an fantastic new music showcase for the nearly sold-out crowd at Rock & Roll Hotel on Friday.

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