Category Archives: We Love Music

Music Reviews & News

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Sara Bareilles @ Rams Head Live!, 4/3/11

DSC05141-1
all photos by Mike Kurman

After I heard that he was a big fan, I asked guest reviewer and concert photographer, Mike Kurman to cover the Sara Bareilles concert for We Love DC.

On a cold, rainy Sunday night in Baltimore, Sara Bareilles grabbed hold of the diverse, multi-aged crowd and didn’t let go for her hour and forty minute set. Rarely have I seen a performer with such confidence as Bareilles. Supporting the excellent ‘Kaleidoscope Heart’ LP, Bareilles came out with a backing four piece band that was equally energetic and extremely tight. There was no warming up or easing into the set. Barielles came out banging on the keys of a royal blue baby grand while swaying, swerving, and singing. Her voice didn’t crack once throughout the evening, not one note was sour or even close to off key, as it echoed off the industrial brick walls of Rams Head Live! as if it was a temple. The performance was downright flawless.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Tim Reynolds @ Blues Alley, 4/1/11


all photos by author.

As a photographer, I’ve never had band management ask me to check on a venue’s photography policy. But when Tim Reynolds publicist sent an email asking me to check on the photo policy for Blues Alley in Georgetown, I hopped on the phone.

“Yes, I’m a photographer and I’m scheduled to shoot the Tim Reynolds show you have coming up. What’s your photo policy?”

“We have no photo policy.”

“Oh, ok. So I’m good to go, anything else?”

“No, it’s a ‘no photo policy.’ We don’t allow photos at all.”

“Uh….”

“But you can shoot the soundcheck if it’s okay with Tim’s management.”

Score.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Cut Copy @ 9:30 Club, 3/29/11


photo by Mike Kurman.

As you may have read earlier, I went down to Miami last weekend for the Ultra Music Festival. Cut Copy and Holy Ghost! performed there, but since I knew I would be seeing them at 9:30 Club on Tuesday night, I opted to skip them at the festival. Ultra turned out to be a fantastic weekend of electronic music and although I was exhausted upon my return, a part of me was very excited to keep the dancing going by going to this show.

Cut Copy are touring on their third album “Zonoscope” and Holy Ghost! are about to release their self-titled debut. Both bands have their new albums on the line, but also Holy Ghost! are trying to make the transition from openers to headliners and Cut Copy are trying to dis-spell rumblings of a band identity crisis. I expected this show to be a high-energy, home-run from both bands. Instead it was an average showing from both that made me suspect that perhaps I wasn’t the only one feeling the post-Ultra hangover.

Continue reading →

Adventures, Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Ultra Music Festival 2011 @ Bicentennial Park (Miami), 3/25 – 3/27

IMG_8734
all photos by author.

Last weekend I made a quick getaway to Miami to attend the Ultra Music Festival, otherwise known as the biggest electronic music festival in the world. This was the thirteenth installment of this Miami institution and the first time that it was expanded to a three day event. I along with 150,000 devoted dance music fans* sampled some of the world’s best DJs, producers, and electronic-leaning bands at what amounted to a three-day orgy of drugs, sweat, booze, bikinis, concrete, and ultra-heavy bass. I have been to some huge festivals in my day and some mighty big parties, but I don’t think I have ever been to something that combined the two quite like Ultra Music Festival did.

I thought that the readers who follow my musical adventures on We Love DC might like to hear about my field trip down south. The organizers are already planning UMF 2012 and if you dig what you see and read about here, you might want to consider making the trip yourself next year.

Continue reading →

We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Glassjaw @ Ram’s Head Live, 3/27/11

+DSC_0309-1
All photos by Mike Kurman.

It’s been eight years since post-hardcore rockers Glassjaw have officially released any new material. During those eight years, the band members have been keeping busy with side projects – Head Automatica, Men Women & Children, and United Nations, to name a few. They’ve been working together as a band, sure, but the most they’ve said was “a release is coming soon!” [in ’07] or “our old record label sucks”.

I was beyond excited to pick up tickets to their recent tour, which I caught at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore last Sunday. The concert felt like a band shaking off the dust, getting ready for something big. It was a statement: here’s what we’ve been doing, and we’ve been waiting a long time to share it with you. The show was heavily weighted towards their “new” material – some of which has been around since 2007, but hasn’t seen a studio release until recently.

And wow, the new material is good. It still has roots in the old Glassjaw sound – sudden and unexpected dynamic shifts, spastic singing/screaming, and a fluid style that defies categorization. But this time around, it’s pretty clear that the music is just a platform to showcase Daryl’s unique vocal style. The music is sparse, leaving plenty of room for the vocals to breathe. The guitar riffs are never as memorable as the vocal melodies. The show reflected this dynamic as well – Daryl was the only musician really garnering attention. The other three guys mostly stayed in the background as Daryl paced the vast, empty stage.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
By

The Winning Ticket: Kylie Minogue

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 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 Kylie Minogue live at the Patriot Center at George Mason University on Saturday, April 30th. Whether you are a fan of Ms. Minogue’s music or not, there is no denying that she is one of the premier spectacle performers on the planet right now. I have heard absolutely insane things about the stage set, costumes, and sheer theatrical hugeness of her current tour, “Aphrodite Live 2011”. We’re talking walls of water (you can purchase “splash zone” seats), Kylie emerging from a giant clam (ala Botticelli), and later riding a freakin’ Pegasus (yes, a freakin’ Pegasus)!

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. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketmaster.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Miami Horror @ U Street Music Hall, 3/26/11


courtesy of Miami Horror.

Guest reviewer Alexia Kauffman of The Torches was at the show for We Love DC.

Melbourne’s electro-disco-pop outfit Miami Horror rocked out to a packed U Street Music Hall Saturday night.

I first heard Miami Horror last summer and was fortunate enough to catch their first DC show at U Street Music Hall last year. For that show the hall was probably only 1/3 full, but the audience was super enthusiastic and the band clearly had fun. I bought their album “Illumination” at that show and I couldn’t stop listening to it for the rest of the year. It is definitely one of my favorite albums of 2010. I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben Plant, the group’s founder, last week, and you can check that out here. Now on with the show.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Royksopp @ 9:30 Club, 3/23/11

Photo courtesy of
‘Röyksopp 03’
courtesy of ‘Max Cook’

Guest reviewer Alexia Kauffman of The Torches was at the show for We Love DC:

Norwegian electronic duo Royksopp brought jubilant energy to their sold out show at the 930 club Wednesday night. When I arrived, fifteen minutes before doors opened, there was a line stretching down the block of dedicated admirers waiting in the cold rain for a good spot inside.

I must say that I have been eagerly anticipating this show for some time. This was my first time seeing Royksopp. I heard and loved their song “Remind Me” years ago (yes, before the Geico commercial), and then fell in love with their remix of Beck’s “Missing” on his 2005 remix EP(the best Beck remix ever, IMO). It wasn’t until their 2009 album Junior, though, that I fell hard for them. That album spent the entire summer/fall in my car stereo, and on repeat through my headphones at work.

Since then I have been dying to see them live. And finally, to DC they came. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Interviews, Music, We Love Music
By

Q&A with Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost!


courtesy of Girlie Action.

If you don’t know Holy Ghost! by name yet, there is a good chance that you’d know one of their many remixes if you heard it on the dance floor. Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser have been best buds for twenty years, going all the way back to the 2nd grade (talk about old school)! Music has played a big part in their friendship in that time. Most recently and successfully as a DJ/Remix duo and live band Holy Ghost!. Their disco-inspired originals and retro-synth remix style has them in high demand as both producers and as an opening act.

Holy Ghost! are opening for Cut Copy at two sold out shows at 9:30 Club next week. Alex Frankel took some time out from the studio to answer a few questions about the band and his life-long friendship with his band-mate.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Agalloch @ Sonar (Baltimore), 3/21/11

ag1
All photos courtesy of Agalloch

On Monday, I drove up to Baltimore to check out Agalloch, rising stars in the American black metal scene. You know, I try to defend DC’s metal scene, but what does it mean when a critically acclaimed band passes us by? Are we not metal enough for a band from Portland? Are our local venues discriminating against the longhairs?

Anyway. I usually scoff at black metal as being too Satanic, too repetitive, or too grim – but Agalloch bring something unique to the genre, mixing in elements of folk (including acoustic and orchestral instruments), psych metal, and post-rock. It coalesces into something heavy and complex, something that rewards multiple listens. Despite some weak opening bands and a late set (running past 1am), I left the show sold on their vision for the future of black metal.
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Interviews, Music, We Love Music
By

Q&A with Benjamin Plant of Miami Horror

Our guest writer Alexia Kauffman of The Torches enjoyed Miami Horror’s show so much the first time they played DC that we asked her if she’d like to interview the band’s creator for us in advance of their return this weekend.

Miami Horror is the electro/disco-pop creation of Australian DJ/producer/artist/musician, Benjamin Plant. Originally a solo endeavor by Plant, Miami Horror has grown into a full band and has done remixes for Gorillaz, The Presets & Bloc Party to name a few. Miami Horror is currently on an extensive world tour promoting their 2010 EMI release “Illumination”.

These charming gents played U Street Music Hall last year and their show was super fun, energetic, and a little goofy. They are returning to U Street Music Hall this weekend. If New Order and Air met at Studio 54 and had a torrid affair, Miami Horror would be their futuristic disco love-child. We Love DC was lucky enough to catch up with Ben for a chat amidst the band’s insane tour schedule; fresh off a week that included shows in Mexico City and Austin’s SXSW music festival.

Continue reading →

We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Crystal Castles @ 9:30 Club, 3/15/11


All images courtesy of Crystal Castles

Crystal Castles is a band I haven’t quite wrapped my head around yet. They’re a duet that plays slightly off-kilter, dark, noisy electronic music. It’s a pretty strange mix of Vegas slot-machine ambience, Gameboy bleeps and bloops, and ghostly vocals. Why do people like this? Maybe because it’s so weird. Or because you can dance to it. But like Apple Jacks, I just like it, and I can’t explain why. Clearly I’m not the only one who feels this way – they sold out the 9:30 Club on Wednesday, just like the last time they came through DC in August.

Crystal Castles put on an impressive live show that perfectly complements their music. Not only did they pick a great setlist, but the entire visual aspect of the show perfectly complemented their songs. Bright LED displays surrounded by darkness added a new layer of mystery to their music. And, oh man, their singer Alice Glass knows how to get a crowd going. We danced, jumped, and clawed our way forward throughout the set.
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: The Ex @ Black Cat, 3/12/11

IMG_8266
all photos by author.

On Saturday night at the Black Cat, legendary Dutch post-punk group The Ex treated DC fans to an energetic run through of most of the songs off their latest album, “Catch My Shoe”, a Hungarian folk song they used to do with Tom Cora, and a cover of the Konono No.1 song “Huriyet”. The Ex have been a band for over thirty years and while their line-up has changed many times over the years (most recently with a change of lead singers) the band has always maintained core values of improvisation, collaboration, and blistering guitar action. It was this third value that was most prominently on display Saturday night.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Meek Is Murder @ Firehouse Grill (Fairfax), 3/11/11

IMG_8098
all photos by author.

There is nothing quite like the experience of discovering a new band that is obviously destined for great things. For one, it is pretty rare to get in on the ground floor with a band that is this good before their secret is already out. So when you are one of the 10 or 15 people in a room who witness this new band rip open the sky with their musical brilliance for the first time, you should count yourself blessed by the gods of music. Second, while you are filled with the exhilaration of discovery and passion for the new band’s music, it can be very hard to convince people who were not there to take the time to seek the band out to give them a listen.

The reason for this is that there is no “buzz”. You’ve witnessed a band no one’s ever heard of, before they were big; no one cares. More than ever before, “buzz” is a critical element that anyone who wasn’t in that room with you requires before they’ll listen. Only then when the internet is ablaze with tales of the band’s amazing feats in far off cities will people start to take notice of the band that you have been shouting about for weeks, months, sometimes even years. So discovering a band like this; a fully formed, ass-kicking unit in their pre-buzz phase is both amazing and sometimes frustrating. I think out of that frustration is where music snobbery and “I saw them before they…” posing is born. I can see how it can make some people feel bitter and others feel elitist about their discoveries.

I’m not like that. I just want people, as many people as possible, to learn about the new music, embrace it, and support the folks making it. I don’t really care that I saw them first, but when I occasionally do, I am going to shout as loud as I can for as long as I can about this amazing discovery until the “buzz” bullshit catches up with them and people start to listen. Maybe a few of you will hear me and give Meek Is Murder a spin before waiting for them to gain the stamp of “buzz” approval.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Abigail Williams/Melechesh/Rotting Christ @ Jaxx Nightclub, 03/09/11

IMG_7881
all photos by Michael Darpino

Guest reviewer Mark Hensch is a freelance writer based in Washington DC. He has been writing about Heavy Metal since he was in High School back in Michigan. He currently contributes to the Washington Times online as Heavy Metal Hensch and is senior editor of Thrash Pit.

The “Apostles of Darkness Over The Americas” tour launched their nationwide sonic assault at Jaxx Nightclub on Wednesday night. The first stop on a two-month tour, the lineup read like a roster from the embassy of evil: leading the charge were the grim ghouls of Abigail Williams, followed by the Middle Eastern heavy metal of Jerusalem’s Melechesh and the battle-ready anthems of Athens’ Rotting Christ. It was a concert of musical carnage that wasn’t just great it was global; fire-breathing proof that the heavy metal scene still thrives at home and abroad.

Thanks to Jaxx’s layout, DC-area heavy metal fans were treated to a trio of intimate performances. The crowd was small but vocal, filling the floor space in front of the raised stage with an energy that surpassed their numbers. There wasn’t much space between band and fan, letting the two collide in uproarious confrontation. Guitar necks brushed past thrown devil horns as the fans and bands became one in an extreme metal meltdown.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark @ 9:30 Club, 3/10/11

IMG_8087
all photos by Patrick Onofre

Last week, my buddy Mickey McCarter loaned us his New Wave expertise to interview Andy McCluskey. Seemed only natural to ask him to review OMD’s show for us too.

Some things are worth the wait.

Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) reminded attendees at the 9:30 Club on Thursday that he and the band had not toured the United States in 23 years. Their return did not disappoint. The classic line-up of McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Malcolm Holmes, and Martin Cooper showed the generation of bands that came and went in the intervening time exactly what was so exciting about marrying synthesizers to a guitar and calling it New Wave to begin with. A wildly enthusiastic audience at the nearly sold out show embraced not only the OMD classics but also the five new songs introduced live from the new album, “History of Modern”.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Interviews, Music, We Love Music
By

Q&A with Andy Moor of The Ex


courtesy of PMA PR.

Andy Moor, guitarist in The Ex since 1990, lives in the Netherlands; his adopted home ever since he accepted the invitiation from The Ex to join their ever-changing ranks. I have been a fan of The Ex since high school, which means I have been a fan of theirs for (ahem) quite some time. The Ex are playing at the Black Cat tomorrow night and I thought it would be a fine opportunity to interview Andy about one of my favorite bands.

The first time I tried to call Andy, he was sleeping off jetlag having just returned from Addis Ababa. The second time I tried to reach him, he was out for a bike ride. The third time, he was on a boat ride with visiting family. I guess that’s what I get for expecting a so-called “anarchist” to stick to a schedule! Andy and I finally connected via Skype on the fourth try and we proceeded to have an epic conversation about some of Andy’s side projects, The Ex’s rich history of collaboration, the recent departure of G.W. Sok (the group’s lead singer for 30 years), the band’s excellent new album “Catch My Shoe”, and that pesky “anarcho-punk” label that follows The Ex everywhere, much to their chagrin.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Interviews, Music, We Love Music
By

Q&A with Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

omd1
all photos courtesy of The Musebox.

When it turned out that I would be unavailable to conduct this interview myself, the first person who came to my mind as the perfect pinch hitter for the gig was Mickey McCarter. By day, Mickey is a professional journalist, covering homeland security and military affairs for Homeland Security Today and Fox News. On nights and weekends, he is one of DC’s foremost experts on the New Wave and synthpop genres.

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, founded by UK songwriters Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, led a synthpop revolution from the ‘80s through today in the United Kingdom, consistently charting in the UK top 30 with each of their 11 studio albums, including their very latest History of Modern. McCluskey alone kept the band’s name alive throughout the ‘90s until he and Paul Humphreys reunited for a successful return-to-form last year.

Now the band returns to the United States for the first time in more than 20 years, playing the 9:30 Club on Thursday, March 10. We Love DC caught up with synthpop virtuoso McCluskey recently to talk about Pretty in Pink, the new generation of synthpop musicians, and the sound of the future.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
By

The Winning Ticket: Loretta Lynn

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!

“She was born a coal miner’s daughter, but she has become a Country Music legend, Ms. Loretta Lynn!” That introduction I borrowed from Johnny Cash just about says it all doesn’t it? Win these tickets and join Loretta Lynn as she celebrates her 50th year as an entertainer with a special show at 9:30 Club on Thursday, March 17th.

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. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
By

We Love Music: Smith Westerns @ Rock & Roll Hotel, 3/4/11


courtesy of Smith Westerns.

It was another sold out show at Rock & Roll Hotel on Friday night as the club continued its recent run of strong indie buzz-band bookings with Chicago’s Smith Westerns. Between the sold-out show downstairs and the mega-popular DJ night upstairs, there was actually quite a long line to gain entry to the club. As I stood in the pleasant evening air, waiting to get inside, I could not help but overhear the chorus of whining from the privileged and entitled who felt put-out by having to wait in a line for 10-15 minutes. I didn’t hear a single person talking about the band most of us were there to see.* This was a bad sign that foretold of an audience more interested in talking rather than in actually listening to the music we had paid to see.

Once inside, the audience did indeed talk through most of the opening set by O.M.U., which is a shame because they are a fun band with some pretty great guitar playing. Duing Smith Westerns’ set, the drunken crowd switched from talking to sloppily singing along. This was a welcome change in audience behavior and indicated Smith Westerns’ surprising mainstream appeal. Their set was a mix of inventive indie-rock and platitude-filled, teen romance anthems. While I enjoyed the majority of their set, I was left with the distinct impression that Smith Westerns are a band at a crossroads.

Continue reading →