Category Archives: Music

Music, News, Night Life, The Daily Feed
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New Music Venue in Downtown Silver Spring

Photo courtesy of
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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Live Nation‘s got its paws on the next big D.C.-area music scene and its address is Silver Spring.

Residents — it’s time to say your final “goodbyes” to the J.C. Penney store that’s been vacant for 18 years. The Fillmore Music Hall will take its place. Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett announced today that the latest addition to downtown Silver Spring will “dramatically enhance the community’s fast-growing entertainment district.”

“The County’s vision is to bring a dynamic, first-class music, entertainment, and community use venue to Silver Spring in the former J.C. Penney building,” Leggett said. “We want to bring Silver Spring revitalization across Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue. Today, we take a huge step on delivering that vision.”

Current landowners, Lee Development Group, will be presenting Montgomery County with this $3.5 million musical gift as soon as the venue’s construction is completed.

Music, The Daily Feed
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Choral Arts Offers Surround Sound For Cheap

Photo courtesy of
‘Kennedy Center @ Night’
courtesy of ‘* Chris D’

One of the most impressive things a choir can do is spread themselves to the four corners of a hall and offer forth in antiphonal chorus. The Washington Choral Arts society is doing just that next weekend at the Kennedy Center, with works by Gabrieli, Tallis, Biebl, Britten, Tavener and Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir. This should be an awesome awesome concert, and tickets are 20% off for We Love DC readers with code FRIEND at checkout. This is one not to miss. See you there.

Music, The Daily Feed
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Young@Heart Coming to DC

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‘Young@Heart æ��滾å�§ï¼�ç�ºå¥¶’
courtesy of ‘CielChen’

There’s not much better than a good rock ‘n roll show, in my opinion. And yet, Young@Heart does us one better: they’re a chorus of delightful senior citizens who perform the pop and rock songs. I saw the documentary on these guys a few months ago, and I’m not afraid to admit that I bawled my freaking eyes out. Especially when they performed “Fix You,” right after the death of one of their members. Gets me every time.

Anyway, although the film has its sad moments, their live shows look absolutely awesome, and they’re stopping by DC for a performance at the Warner Theatre on December 5. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by emailing events@iona.org or calling 202-895-9416. Even better, the proceeds of the concert will go towards Iona Senior Services, a non-profit that helps senior citizens in DC.

Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed
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Super Diamond Comes to 9:30

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‘At the Super Diamond Show’
courtesy of ‘rejohnson71’

Super Diamond, the Neil Diamond tribute band, will be playing the 9:30 Club this Friday at 8PM. Yes, you read that right. DJ lil’e will be getting things started with an all-80’s set, and then Randy “Surreal Neil” Cordeiro and his band will be taking the stage to play the rest of the show. You may laugh, but one of my favorite concert surprises of all time was when the Japanese Beatles tribute band Silver Beats opened for The Killers at the Patriot Center. They were great, and I felt like I had already seen a great show by the time The Killers started their set. So I feel like I owe it to myself, and of course to Neil, to find out if Super Diamond is any good.

Music, The Features
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November Concert Preview

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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Kind of a light month music-wise in November, possibly due to the holiday. Also could be due to the fact that way more people are willing to venture out for a show when it’s nice outside than when it’s blistering cold, as November undoubtedly will be.  Most of the fun stuff seems to be clustered toward the beginning of the month, with a few excellent shows right around Thanksgiving, including Peter Bjorn and John, Queen Latifah, The Mountain Goats, and more– so let’s jump right in!

Right up front in November, the Verizon Center is hosting two HUGE names, but for very different audiences: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on Monday, November 2 and Miley Cyrus the next day, Tuesday, November 3. I mean, I guess you can party in the USA and still be down with The Boss, right? Continue reading →

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Hanson

Photo courtesy of
‘Taylor’s still got it’
courtesy of ‘dcjasmine’

Oh, yes– you read right. I went to see Hanson (and Hellogoodbye) on Tuesday. Confession time: I liked it. A lot. I mean, my music taste has come a long way in 11 years, but you never forget your first love. And man, that Taylor Hanson… sweet Tiger Beat, he’s still got it.

The boys of Hanson– Taylor, Isaac, and Zac– may all be all grown up (plus married and with kids, no less), but their music retains the same sweetness and light that made them famous back in the late ’90s. Just about every song featured their signature three-part harmony, and most of their lyrics are about pure, unadulterated love. Continue reading →

Music, The Daily Feed
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SAFE & Sound Benefit Show Tonight

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‘DSCN3278.JPG’
courtesy of ‘::FiZ::’

Tonight at DC9, local bands including The Moderate, Alex Gruenburg, and Frau Eva come together for a sweet $10 show to benefit Survivors and Advocates for Empowerment (SAFE). SAFE empowers survivors of domestic violence here in DC and helps them navigate the legal system and get out of their bad situations. So come out and support both the local music scene and a great organization tonight!

Music, The Features
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October Concert Preview

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‘Colbie Caillat’
courtesy of ‘Martijn vdS’

Oh my, does October bring delightful things. It feels like fall, and that means not only that the leaves are changing color but that we’re in the magical yet short time where the temperature is just chilly enough at night to cool off some of those tiny concert venues a bit but not too cold to have to bring a giant coat.

Check out my completely subjective roundup of all the concerts I’m excited about in October, including The Bravery, Pinback, Colbie Caillat, and even Hanson and KISS after the jump. Continue reading →

Music, The Daily Feed
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Died Young, Stayed Pretty

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‘ooO’
courtesy of ‘box of lettuce’

The words “underground indie rock culture” bring to mind a lot of things, but tonight the National Museum of Women in the Arts examines one aspect: the posters. Died Young, Stayed Pretty is a documentary that takes a look at the art and the designers behind it, including Print Mafia, Brian Chippendale, the Ames Brothers, and more.

The movie [is at the Corcoran and] starts at 6:30 pm and is $12 for public, $10 for members. Pre-registration is encouraged.

Music, The Daily Feed
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New Album from Le Loup

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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Local band Le Loup‘s second album was released today, called Family. One of the songs off the album was featured on the most recent “All Songs Considered” podcast, with a mention that their live shows were absolutely amazing. I’ve never seen them, but apparently they usually set up right in the middle of the floor to completely get rid of the distinction between band and audience. They are touring for Family starting in October, but won’t loop (heh) around to DC until their last tour date in the beginning of November.

Music, Night Life, The Features
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We Love Music: Dance Parties

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‘_’
courtesy of ‘Sexy Fitsum’

It’s kind of hard for me to describe the dance party scene in DC, because I have kind of a stream-of-consciousness reaction that involves the words “awesome” “super fun” and “pure joy.” Perhaps the best way to start is to tell you what it’s not: it’s not the club scene. Sure, both involve dancing, but everything from the kind of dancing to the music being played is completely different. There’s no velvet rope with a bouncer letting in the right amount of girls and guys, there’s no Top 40 playlist, and there isn’t even any bumping and grinding (unless you really want to). Continue reading →

Music, The Daily Feed
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Six Flags Chillin

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‘there they go’
courtesy of ‘LisaRoxy’

Local rapper Wale (say it: wah-lay) is bringing some DC flavor to Six Flags America‘s “Buzz Bands Bash” on September 20. He seems to be really doing his best to play for some big audiences (he was at Virgin Freefest a couple of weekends ago), and if you haven’t heard “Chillin” you probably should. The video, which includes LOTS of DC shots you will recognize, is after the jump. Continue reading →

Music, The Features
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We Love Music: Quest for Glory Tour

Photo courtesy of
‘The ladies of the Quest for Glory Tour knight someone’
courtesy of ‘dcjasmine’

Let’s be honest with each other, DC. I love concerts, and sometimes there’s nothing better than being smashed up against other screaming people that love a band as much as you do. But sometimes I find myself thinking, I wish I could feel the A/C in this joint. And sit. And be able to set my beer on a table. And have the concert be free. There aren’t many music venues like this in the DC area, but Wednesday night Fireflies in Del Ray hosted three ladies on the Quest For Glory Tour: Bess Rogers, Lelia Broussard, and Allison Weiss. Continue reading →

Music, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, WTF?!
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Nationals Host Best National Anthem Of All Time

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Anyone who’s ever been to a Nats game with me knows that I have a thing for the National Anthem. I’ve been known to sing along, even audition to use my undergrad degree in Vocal Performance, and I’ve got pretty exacting standards for what it takes. Usually, I’m an anthem purist, but Glenn Donnellan from the National Symphony moved me with his Saturday performance. Donnellan, a violinist, constructed an electric violin out of a baseball bat and brought that out to Nats Park on Saturday and absolutely nailed the National Anthem. Usually I don’t go in for flourishes and extra ornaments, as they tend to be out of character for what is nominally a drinking song set to a poem about war. But Donnellan’s electric performance defies all rules about character and elevates it to something that even Sam the Eagle would find touching.

Bravo, Glenn, and Bravo to the Nationals for hosting him.

Music, The Daily Feed
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Friday Night Jams

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courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

Tomorrow night, local band Lorelei will be hitting the main stage at the Black Cat with openers Shortstack and The Moderate. If you’ve been tapped into the local music scene for a while, you might remember Lorelei when they first debuted in the 90s. They split up, moved away, put out a new album, and now are back putting on some live shows.

In this lineup, however, I would say that the don’t-miss band is Shortstack, also hailing from DC. “Commotion” is a kooky, upbeat, country-tinged track, and their bio starts with the sentence “Adrian Carroll, Burleigh Seaver, Mike Pahn, and Scott Gursky are thieves.” I can dig it.

Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed
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Get Your Ukulele On!

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‘CIMG5537’
courtesy of ‘MGdesigner’

The poor, poor ukulele, it often gets a bad rap.  Personally, I’m a fan of the instrument.  Just check out Jake Shimabukuro’s While My Guitar Gently Weeps to see what I’m talking about.  So I’ll be at tonight’s FREE Strathmore Outdoor Summar Concert series-Uke Fest 2009.  Bring a picnic and a blanket, spread out on the lawn and get ready to hear some of the best ukulele players in the country. Enjoy!

All Politics is Local, Life in the Capital, Music, The Daily Feed
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Health Care: How DC Stacks Up

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‘Health Care Rally for a Public Option in front of Senator Bill Nelson´s Office’
courtesy of ‘leoncillo sabino’

Interested in how the Health Care debate and potential reforms will impact the District?  For starters, try reading up on DC’s Health Care current status quo.  I’m not advocating for any specific plan (I’m still trying to edu-ma-cate myself) but the DC site has some stats that really bring the health care debate to the home front.  Here’s to hoping that our government can come up with a solution that’s both viable and effective.

Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Music, Night Life, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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Fringe Arts: The Oresteia

Dizzy Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue presents The Oresteia at Church Street Theater as part of the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival

Dizzy Miss Lizzie's Roadside Revue presents The Oresteia at Church Street Theater as part of the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival

Though I still stand by my original thinking that one of the chief joys of Fringe is seeing theater in the raw, as it were, scrappy and imperfect in rough and ready locations – sometimes I have to admit that can hinder as well. Dizzy Miss Lizzie’s Roadside Revue Presents The Oresteia, a funny and subversive retelling of the Aeschylus play, suffers from venue pains. Contained in the run-down Church Street Theater, it’s hindered by the confines of a proscenium stage. Despite the best efforts of a lively cast, the location really clips its wings. Chief among the venue problems is the sound quality – it’s plagued by bad miking that jars the ears and disconnects you from some truly great vocal pipes.

But, if you can get beyond that, there’s meat here. A lot of gusto in the retelling by company members Steve McWilliams (music) and Debra Buonaccorsi (direction), which takes the classic Greek tragedy pitting the old forces of matriarchal blood revenge against the new forces of patriarchal justice (or as my poker-faced drama professor called it, “the rise of the phallus”) and shakes it up with rock-n-roll, burlesque, and lots of profanity. The cast makes a valiant effort to get you in the mood upon entering, by busking cheap beer and flirting with the audience. But the theater’s not built to encourage much interaction and that’s a pity. Once the show starts the action is pretty much confined to the stage, and almost seems crammed in those confines. It erupts through in a couple of places where the gutsy singing just can’t be cramped.
Continue reading →