Category Archives: Music

Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, History, Life in the Capital, Music, Night Life, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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2010 Ibero-American Guitar Festival

Photo courtesy of
‘2010:53’
courtesy of ‘::FiZ::’

This evening the 2010 Ibero-American Guitar Festival kicks off at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian. The festival showcases classical guitarists from the Iberia peninsula, Latin America and South America. You can grab a little taste of what’s in store with the beautiful strumming of Berta Rojas.

Shopping for your first instrument should be the initial step in a lifelong journey of learning and inspiration. It can also be confusing because all musical instruments come in so many different makes and models. If you’re buying your first guitar, you’ll face choices like what size guitar to buy, deciding between an acoustic or electric, or whether to invest in a new or used instrument. While there are many variables that might affect your decision, the most important thing is to find a guitar that sounds good, looks good, and feels good to play, check the next online website, they did a great review of Yamaha c40.

This year’s festival is dedicated to Manuel M. Ponce, the Mexican composer who passed away in 1948, but whose guitar compositions continue to inspire the world of international guitar. Tonight, the Manuel M. Ponce Quartet will give a talk/performance illustrating the influence Ponce has had over three centuries of music and the artist’s relationship with the great Andalusian guitarist Andres Segovia. Saturday at 2pm Leonora Saavedora talks about Ponce’s effect on Mexican traditional song.

If you can’t make it out to the festival, there’s also a live webcast of the events/performance that’s definitely worth tuning into.

Entertainment, Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, Music, News, People, Special Events, The District, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The 9:30 Club 30th Anniversary Concert

Bob Mould performing at the 9:30 Club 30th Anniversary concert
“Bob Mould” photo taken by author.

“The reason this is the best club in America is the people that work here. Trust me, most nightclubs are terrible places. You don’t want to go there.” – Neill Fallon of Clutch.

“I can not imagine a DC without the 9:30 Club. It is unimaginable. It’s just unimaginable” – Mark Noone of The Slickee Boys.

“I love the fact that I’m from DC!” – Henry Rollins

“Let’s kick on the way back machine and get this thing over with.” – Bob Mould.

One of the truly singular music events I have ever attended took place on Monday night at the 9:30 Club. It was a special free concert held in celebration of this legendary club’s 30th anniversary. The night was also a celebration of the people who work (and have worked) there, the icons who got their start there, and the wonderful music that has been played there over the last 30 years. The night was full of anecdotes and music from 13 bands and artists that have strong ties to both the old and new 9:30 Club locations. For some the evening was a living, breathing, crash course in DC music history; for others it was a fun and at times even emotional trip down memory lane.

The 9:30 Club (original location) is the nightclub I cut my teeth on when I moved here in 1993. Within a few days of arriving I was catching my first show there (British twee-band Heavenly); and in the months and years after many, many more shows followed. I once took a date there to see The Boredoms and she left with a black-eye. My little brother did his first stage dive when I took him there to see Helmet. I was completely enthralled with industrial music after hearing Einstruzende Neubauten on the PA before the melodramatic, dynamite-strapped Sheep on Drugs brought the house down with their industrial-dance mayhem. And I was seduced along with everyone else in the crowd by Toni Halliday and the sounds of Curve. The old club opened my mind to most of the music that I still passionately love today.

The V st. location is without a doubt the best club-venue in the country. I’ve been to concert halls all over the U.S.A. and it always comes back to the 9:30 Club’s awesome sound-system (which I have written/gushed about at length over the years). Seeing a concert at the 9:30 Club is a sublime experience for a die-hard music fan. Perhaps none more-so than the amazing show that club-owner Seth Hurwitz treated dedicated DC music fans to on Monday night.

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Entertainment, Music, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Jonas Brothers (Pop)Rock The Warner Theatre at 7 This Morning

JoBrosLiveDC Photo By Ashley Danchuck
Photo By Ashley Danchuk

Early yesterday afternoon hordes of teenage girls and entry level ladies lined-up outside Warner Theatre, according to the Washington Post, to receive free wristbands to a randomly announced Jonas Brothers show that took place this morning.

Getting into the show was an easy feat if you got in line early enough. Just stand outside the theater and wait for a wristband when the theater box office opened at 2 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Sounds simple for the kiddies who are off of school, but what about those 20-somethings who have no shame in loving the adorable (yeah I went there, feel free to mock me, I can take it) pop trio?

24-year-old Ashley Danchuk, a self-proclaimed Jonas die-hard (she has a tattoo to prove it) and member of Team Jonas (The official Jonas Brothers Fan Club, who received word of the show on Monday night via e-mail), couldn’t skip out on her 9 to 5 to get the wristbands for the show so she had a friend go for her. It resulted in great success. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Music, Night Life, People, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: June Music Preview

Photo courtesy of
‘Earth Day Concert Dancers’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

Memorial Day is over, we’re on to June, and that means outdoor concerts and music festivals galore! The District’s got them all this month: Jazz, Folk, Blues, Rock, Pop, Acoustic — even crafts, dance, and all the culture you can stomach in one day (or over the course of many).

Here’s a look at June’s top “tickets” to get your butt outside and reap the benefits of living in a city where the world’s cultures collide with a wide-variety of  well-established American traditions. Continue reading →

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Live Jazz All Weekend!

Photo courtesy of
‘Live Jazz’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

I make it no secret that I believe Jazz is an underappreciated portion of American music history by the millennial generation. With that said, I shared with you one man’s love for the trombone and how he brought it to the forefront of band leadership. Now, I ask you to give something a try (if you’ve never done so before) … go see some live Jazz.

I leave you with two options for the weekend if you’ll be sticking around the District:

1) Doc Scantlin and the Imperial Palms Orchestra – Doc means business. His band is considered a Jazz institution in the area, having been around for a decade now. Their specialties include anything from the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s. Their final performance at the Carlyle Club (where they play live every Friday unless their on break or on tour) until June 18 is tonight at 8 pm. Tickets are required but the Carlyle Club is a dinner club as well, so come and make an evening of it. I’ll be there! Ticket information is available on the Carlyle Club’s website.

2) The Kaleidoscope Orchestra – The Orchestra is just one of many acts performing at this year’s 33rd Annual City of Alexandria Memorial Day Jazz Festival on Monday. The entire event is from 1 to 7 and features some of the top Jazz acts in and around the area. They include: The Jazz Ambassadors Dixieland Band, the Joe Baione Trio, WAMMIE Award winner Al Williams, straight ahead jazz group and the Washington Area Music Association’s Best Jazz Group for 2009, the Larry Brown Quintet. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Big Sam’s Funky Nation

Photo courtesy of
‘BeachTrombone-7’
courtesy of ‘gas_station_sushi’

It’s rare in Jazz music to see a trombone player in the role of band leader. Some of the greatest and most remembered names in Jazz among the vast majority of Americans include: Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. None of those players ever once led a band with trombone in hand.

While there are notable Jazz greats who played the slide trombone while commanding a room and conducting a band, it still remains common place to have a trumpet be the focal point. Big Sam leads on trombone.

Big Sam was always a big boy. In the 6th grade, he was 6 foot tall and 200 pounds while playing little league basketball. When the time came that he grew out of playing the sport – literally – Sam approached his school’s band leader and asked him what instrument they needed someone to play.

Sam’s band leader replied, “The trombone.”

“What’s that?” Sam said. That’s all it took to hook him.

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We Love The 9:30 Club

Photo courtesy of
courtesy of ‘phillsea’

It is no secret that I love seeing bands perform at the 9:30 Club. Their epic sound system can take a decent band from good to great and can elevate the cream-of-the-crop from great to legendary. I have seen hundreds of shows at the 9:30 Club (both old and new) and look forward to many more. I anxiously await bands I love playing the 9:30 Club for the first time. It is a great experience listening to them get their hands on that wonderful sound system and filling that massive high-ceiling room with sound. Case in point: Japanese, post-rockers Mono on June 2. I have seen them play on almost every tour in numerous venues and I guarantee that none of those shows will sound as good as their first time at 9:30 Club next week.

This year the 9:30 Club turns 30 years old. Between its original location (and namesake) at 930 F st. NW and its current super-venue at 815 V st. NW the club has been supplying Washington DC with underground music, emergent bands on the rise, and intimate performances by super-stars for three decades. To celebrate this anniversary the 9:30 Club will host two very special concerts this holiday weekend. The first is a unique performance by Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine on Sunday night. This dean of humorous lounged-up rock and rap cover songs will treat the audience to an evening full of his renditions of songs by bands integral to 9:30 Club’s long and impressive musical history. This concert is $40 and begins at 6:30pm on Sunday.

On Monday, the 9:30 Club will play host to a truly spectacular, free-event hosted by DC-favorite son Henry Rollins. The event will feature hand-picked acts that have played an important part in the club’s story and will best represent the club’s unique place in DC and alternative music history. “We wanted to do something really different, we want to be surrounded by people who have made this place special, and we found out from the Virgin Mobile FreeFest how much fun it is to give tickets away, so we combined it altogether for our 30TH Anniversary concert,” said I.M.P. Chairman and co-owner of the 9:30 Club Seth Hurwitz. I can think of no better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this grand concert hall that truly represents the musical soul of our fine city.

Details on the 30th Anniversary Concert (including a partial line-up) after the jump.
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Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Sophisticated Ladies

Wynnona Smith, Janine DiVita, Maurice Hines, Marva Hicks and Karla Mosley in the Arena Stage production of Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies (Photo by Scott Suchman)

As of last Thursday night, Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies has become the best selling show in Arena Stage’s history (that’s a record-breaker over six decades of distinguished theater). It’s been extended through June 6 at the Lincoln Theatre, and rightly so. Go see it.

(I could just leave it at that, but of course I won’t!)

On my way walking the few blocks from my house to the Lincoln Theatre, I made a point of passing the house where Duke Ellington lived on 13th Street. There’s now a placard on the fence outside proudly proclaiming that fact. It gave me a bit of a thrill, walking up that street, past the Whitelaw, and then over to the storied Lincoln Theatre, thinking of the young Duke maybe doing the same. I’ve always had a crush on Ellington since I was a little girl listening to my dad’s jazz records, so I had a special feeling going to this performance – and it did not disappoint.

Glitz, glamour, class and sass. An excess of talented singers and dancers. The Duke’s scintillating music performed by a slamming onstage orchestra. And a legend of tap graciously highlighting two extraordinary newcomers. That’s what you’ll get with Duke Ellington’s Sophisticated Ladies. Continue reading →

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HFStival Tickets On Sale Friday

Photo courtesy of
‘SOUNDWAVE ’10 SYDNEY. Gallows crowd.’
courtesy of ‘SarahB-‘

Senior Vice President and Marketing Manager of CBS Radio Washington Sam Rogers, better known in this case as the former general manager of WHFS admitted a little something to The Washington City Paper recently:

“Nobody wants to admit they’re old and classic.”

In vain of that, it is necessary to announce that tickets for the area’s famed HFStival go on sale this Friday and the line-up is full of a few alt-rock classics in their own right.

Acts on the main stage include 90’s classics like: Third Eye Blind, Billy Idol, Everclear, Ed Kowalczyk from Live, Presidents Of the United States of America, Fuel, Lit, and Marcy Playground.

Ticket prices aren’t out of line and are moderately priced at $25-$40.

Of course, there will also be a local stage featuring the best the DMV has to offer.

HFStival will take place on September 18 at Merriweather Post Pavillion.

I mean come on! A chance to hear Marcy Playground sing “Sex and Candy” is one you really don’t want to miss.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ The Black Cat 5/19/10

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra at Black Cat 5/19/10 courtesy of Silver Mt. Zion.

The latest name variation and line-up incarnation of Efrim Menuck’s Canadian post-rock outfit, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, played to a sparsely attended show at the Black Cat on Wednesday night in support of their latest album, “Kollaps Tradixionales“. Too easily dismissed by many music fans because of its off-shoot from Godspeed You Black Emperor status, Silver Mt. Zion is in its own right one of the mightiest live post-rock acts going. A fact that they proved again and again during their amazing set on Wednesday night. This show was so damn good that I actually felt bad for the nay-sayers, the second-guessers, and the lazy who missed out on Silver Mt. Zion’s unique and powerful performance.
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Music, The Daily Feed
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DC Record Fair Sunday at Black Cat

tvd_dcrecordfair_sm.gif

This is a town that loves its vinyl as well as its iPods, MP3 players and Zunes (oh, who are we kidding, no one has a Zune!), so if you want to pick up some tasty wax this weekend, head for the Black Cat on Sunday from Noon to Six, so you can stock up on the good stuff.  The folks at Vinyl District say they’ve got a handle on the lighting issues from February’s Record Fair, and they’re also opening up the Red Room for the Fair, so you can have a frosty beverage before or after your hunt for the best records.  Alec MacKaye, Cobruhhh, Emily/Susan from Exit Clov, DJ Dredd, Fort Knox Five and John Foster will all have sets on the 1s and 2s during the Record Fair as well, so don’t miss some live DJing this weekend, either.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Spectrum @ Velvet Lounge 5/13/10

spectrum at velvet lounge
courtesy of Spectrum.

It was a psychedelic throw-down at the Velvet Lounge on Thursday night when Spectrum dropped in to kick-off their current U.S. tour. In what is easily the best live set I have personally seen performed at the Velvet Lounge, the equipment heavy 4-man unit turned the tiny stage into their own personal sound laboratory and dazzled the small but dedicated crowd with an explosive evening of controlled feedback and groovy repetition.

For the uninitiated Spectrum is the most traditional of the many music projects led by Peter Kember aka Sonic Boom. Sonic Boom was one of the members of the hypnotically brilliant Spacemen 3, a legendary UK guitar band from the 80’s underground. Since Spacemen 3’s demise in the early 90’s, Sonic Boom has been pushing the envelope with experimental projects like Experimental Audio Research and Spectrum. The material Sonic Boom records as Spectrum began with a sound very similar to his former band but quickly evolved away from guitars and for many years became based around vintage keyboards and organs. His music has always maintained a ‘head’ music atmosphere even with the move away from guitars and feedback into tone drones and synth symphonies. On Spectrum’s latest EP, “War Sucks“, the band’s sound seems to be cycling back into guitar freak-out territory. I first saw Spectum at All Tomorrow’s Parties NY in 2008. The set was an equal mix of keyboard and guitar manipulations that also featured a nice dose of Spacemen 3 songs. The whole 2008 set was a laid-back fuzz-fest. So it was with the new EP and the 2008 show in mind that I went into Thursday night figuring the concert could go either way. In other words I didn’t really know what to expect.
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We Love Music: Public Image Ltd. @ 9:30 Club 5/12/10

Public Image Ltd. at 9:30 Club 5/12/10
courtesy of PiL.

“Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.” – rumored FDR quote about Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza García.*

I couldn’t help but think of this quote as John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten aka “Uncle John” took the stage at the 9:30 Club on Wednesday night. Lydon is one of the ultimate love/hate figures in music history. For every brilliant stroke like the Sex Pistol’s ‘Bodies’ or PiL’s ‘Rise’ there is an equally hypocritical public statement or ticket price outrage to offend anew. So I was not very surprised when a lot of professed fans of Public Image Ltd balked at attending Wednesday night’s concert. After all it was over-priced and the quality of a reformed (not reunited) PiL was a huge question mark. Lydon has a lot of audacity expecting sold-out crowds 18 years after the band’s last performance or album, especially after the radically mixed reviews received for the Sex Pistols reunion tours of the late-90’s and mid-00’s. And yet there I stood with a club full of people anxiously waiting for Lydon to challenge us with his noisy, confrontational, anti-pop onslaught. As I stared at the giant PiL banner behind the stage and the growing crowd I thought, John Lydon is a son of a bitch, but (if you love his music) he’s our son of a bitch.

For me, with regard to bands, front-men, legends, and their egos, it boils down to music first, personality second. I worship the Sex Pistols and think that Public Image Ltd. was one of the most inspired and brilliant career/style shifts in music history. Lydon’s ego aside, I was on-board for this show from the get-go. My two-song preview of PiL at the Coachella Music Festival left me confident that Public Image Ltd.’s 9:30 Club show was going to be something special. I had no clue just how special this show would turn out to be.

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We Love Music: Buzzcocks @ The Black Cat 5/11/10

Buzzcocks at The Black Cat 5/11/10
courtesy of Buzzcocks.

Woo-hoo!!!*

Buzzcocks launched the U.S. leg of their “Another…Bites Tour” at the Black Cat on Tuesday night with an exuberant set of their classic, reverb-drenched, pop/punk, sing-a-longs. Since their early-90’s revival, original members Shelley and Diggle have been performing non-stop in the US and UK. Right up there with Stiff Little Fingers, Buzzcocks are one of the longest running and quality-consistent graduates of the original UK Punk class. To mix it up on this tour the band are performing their brilliant first and second albums back-to-back (both released in 1978) along with “other hits”. While album-entirety shows are becoming quite trendy of late (not that I mind), for Buzzcocks I think this dual-album attack is a great move. As their legacy becomes tied more and more to their ability to write amazing singles (as collected on the essential “Singles Going Steady“) this dual album tour is here to remind us that Buzzcocks were also responsible for crafting some brilliant albums; each with an energy flow, sonic imprint, and lyrical themes that deserve their place in rock history as well. Actually Tuesday night’s show did much more than gently remind us of this fact; in typical Buzzcocks pop-roar fashion the show served as a blaring klaxon alarm that made the relevance of “Another Music in a Different Kitchen” and “Love Bites” impossible to ignore.

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Nohow On Plays The Red and Black Bar May 15

Nohow On photo

A New York City trio of self-proclaimed “garage-folk” rockers are taking the stage at DC’s very own Red and Black Bar on Saturday May 15.

Nohow On were recently named one of L Magazine’s 8 NYC Bands You Need To Hear and are on tour this spring/summer to support their debut record “You and Me and Other Fables”.

Think Bob Dylan goes to West Africa all while getting a lesson from Neutral Milk Hotel.

Zach Deputy and Aunt Martha will open the night.

Show starts at 9.

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Rock Out (Acoustically) at Ebenezer’s This Thursday

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘eleanor.black’

If you have an itch for a some solid singer-songwriter action, look no further than Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse and their Thursday night line up on May 13.

Ebenezer’s will feature three acts, one local and two New York City acoustic rockers from 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Headliner Mighty Kate dabbles with piano, guitar, and violin on-stage backed by a combination of classic and contemporary styles played by the rest of her band. Kate is known for her vocal command and ability to capture the audience with nothing more than an extraordinarily well-crafted song.

Local boy Rene Moffatt will open the night for Mighty Kate and fellow act Jody Shelton, bringing his DC area Open Mic skills to the table. Moffatt is a constant figure on the open mic scene who is currently working on honing his performances and songwriting skills. Moffatt can most often be found at IOTA (in VA) and the Modern Times Coffeehouse on a weekly basis.

Ebenezer’s is located at 201 F Street NE.

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Constellations

The Constellations

A fan in Santa Fe once called The Constellations a real-life version of The Royal Tannenbaums. That sentiment is true.

This band of Atlanta brothers and sisters agree. The Constellations embody the highly intelligent nature of the disillusioned Tannenbaum family. All they’re trying to do is carve a path and find themselves in the process.

The Constellations have a two and a half year rotating line-up change to blame for their eclectic approach to music making. For frontman Elijah Jones and the rest of the gang, the studio is the playground and the instruments are the toys. Continue reading →

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We Love Music: Echo & The Bunnymen @ The Black Cat 4/30/10

Echo & The Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant
courtesy of Echo & The Bunnymen.

Echo & the Bunnymen played to a sold out Black Cat on Friday night. It was a rescheduled date from their canceled Fall 2009 tour.

Ian McCulloch wore sunglasses and a long coat over his sweatshirt. He smoked many cigarettes and told many, many indecipherable anecdotes. His singing voice sounded spot on and mentally he held it together through most of the set (contrary to what I have heard of earlier Bunnymen tours this century). It was during the encore that Ian began to ramble on with medleys and tributes that stretched some of Echo’s best songs to their breaking points. I won’t say that this aging post-punk genius isn’t due his eccentricities though. All told, minus the encore nonsense, he gave us an excellent show chock full of fan favorites. Original member Will Sergeant was there too, killing it on guitar. The backing band was very tight. If you closed your eyes you would think you were listening to the 80’s line-up. Except for the keyboards which seemed to disconnect slightly in the set’s later half.

I last saw Echo & The Bunnymen play in 2003 in Spain in front of a massive crowd (50k?) at the Festival Internacional de Benicassim. That show was totally rock star. It looked and sounded epic. Friday night’s show was intimate and informal. Ian and the band hardly seemed to be putting on a show at all. The feel was very relaxed as if the band were playing for old friends rather than paying customers. Judging from the very warm reception the band received, in a way I guess they were.
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Essential DC, Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: May Music Preview

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘erin m’

April showers bring May flowers, but what does the May DC music scene bring to all of you? Good question. Here’s the answer: Freedom. Complete freedom … as far as prices are concerned. There’s a whole bunch of free concert series and performances to keep your ears occupied and dancing shoes satisfied. Here are a few of my picks as we begin this transition month into the dog days of summer. The way I see it, May is a good practice-run for the overwhelming amount of free events throughout the city come June, July and August. So train well, my young musical padawans, train well. Continue reading →

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Bethesda DJ School Opens Wicka Wicka

Photo courtesy of
‘Hirshhorn After Hours #60’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Just when you thought Bethesda couldn’t get any cooler, Beat Refinery, a DJ school modeled after NYC’s famed Scratch DJ Academy, opens its doors to teach students how to drop the beats and trip the light fantastic DJ style.

Classes take place in an all-new, tricked out room in Bethesda’s Bach to Rock music school, and classes have been designed by famous DJs who jetset around the globe dropping killa beats. Class size is small, 8-10 students, and are a manageable 90-minutes and the course runs for 6 weeks. Beginner class start with the basics: an overview of DJ theory, usage of DJ software, equipment set-up, basic beat counting/matching, etc. You can learn more details about the classes at Thrillist.com

So now it’s time to think up you’re stellar DJ pseudonym. I call DJ We<3DC. If you’re having trouble thinking of a moniker, Rum & Monkey offers a sweet DJ Name Generator. I also call “DJ ThunderCat”