Tag Archives: 9:30 Club

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Grupo Fantasma



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 raffling off a pair of tickets to see Grupo Fantasma perform at the 9:30 Club tomorrow night! This Latin funk super-group has been cranking out quality tunes for ten years and are taking a victory lap tour after winning the Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album Grammy for their album “El Existential” last year. Check out one of their Grammy winning songs in this video and if you like what you hear, enter to win these tix!

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…
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Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Ryan Bingham at the 9:30 Club

Ryan Bingham at the 9:30 Club
Photo by Rachel Levitin

It’s been said countless different ways, but according to folks who’ve lived around these parts, the District is “a northern city with southern charm.” As a daughter of two midwesterner’s, I never knew whether or not the whole “D.C. as a northern city with southern charm thing” was true or not. Then, I saw Texan singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham at the 9:30 Club. In the span of 24 hour hours, I found myself splitting my time between a colossal audience at the Verizon Center for Glee Live and a rock club turned honky tonk show at 9:30 Club for Bingham on June 10. Bingham brought the south with him. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Yeasayer @ 9:30 Club, 6/16/2011

Yeasayer: 9:30 Club, 6/16/2011 [2]
All photos by author

It’s been a year since Yeasayer last visited the 930 Club, in promotion of their latest album Odd Blood. Since then, word spread about their solid live show, and tickets for Thursday night’s show sold out months in advance. They came to DC as part of a short tour to road-test some new songs for their next album – another batch of funky, 80s-pop-influenced tracks with catchy melodies and weird instrumentation. Also new: their fantastic lighting setup, involving huge LCD displays that illuminated the entire club.

By the end of the show, I realized that only a couple Yeasayer tracks really do it for me – even “Ambling Alps” is wearing thin after hearing it a million times last summer. Yet their show was undeniably professional, and their visual appeal kept me interested even during the less exciting songs. Plus, as an experimental pop band, each song was different enough from the last, and short enough that I never got bored of watching them.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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Hot Ticket: Weekend Edition


courtesy of Iceage.

There are more live music options than you can count on two hands happening around town and beyond this weekend. To help you cut the chaff, we’ve cooked up some concert recommendations that can’t miss. Read on about four upcoming shows that have the We Love DC stamp of approval!

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: Michael Franti & Spearhead

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of concert tickets 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 pair of tickets up for grabs to see Michael Franti & Spearhead perform at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, June 21st.

I don’t really know a lot about these guys, so I’m just going to let this amazing quote from the 9:30 Club’s website convince you to go: “The Sound Of Sunshine — the inspired and inspiring new album by Michael Franti & Spearhead — is a kind of musical sun shower, a bright, beautiful and often buoyant song cycle created to bring all kinds of listeners a sense of hope during rough and rainy times for so many in our world.”

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 event are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…
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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of concert tickets 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 uber-producer Daniel Lanois’ latest jam band project Black Dub perform at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, June 14th. When I call Lanois an uber-producer, I’m not joking. The guy has produced albums for Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Sinead O’Conner, Ron Sexsmith, Brian Eno, and a little known band called U2. His current band is dedicated to live recording all done in one take, with no over-dubs. What that means is that they are one tight live unit and I am sure this will translate into an excellent performance for whoever wins these tickets. (PS- If I won these, I would also be totally freaking out to hear what a sound-master like Lanois will do with the 9:30 Club’s premier sound system.)

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 event are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…
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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: Sondre Lerche

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of concert tickets 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 Norwegian-born, singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche perform at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, June 7th. A teenage sensation signed to Virgin/EMI at 16, Lerche became a huge star in Norway and enjoyed moderate success in the US with his first few albums. He made his big splash stateside, when he wrote the soundtrack to the film “Dan In Real Life” and then followed it with his critically acclaimed album “Heartbeat Radio”.

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 event are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 4pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club guest list window, one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Arctic Monkeys @ 9:30 Club, 5/17/11


courtesy of Arctic Monkeys.

And so with this review of Arctic Monkeys at 9:30 Club on Tuesday night, my time reviewing concerts on We Love DC has come full circle. On December 11, 2009 I posted my first feature review as WLDC’s new music writer. It was a glowing review of Arctic Monkeys’ 9:30 Club performance and their dedication to artistic development in the face of a relatively disinterested audience who just wanted to hear the hits.

The world was a different place then. 9:30 Club tickets were sold via Tickets.com instead of Ticketfly. Osama Bin Laden was still hiding in every shoe, belt buckle, and in-seam instead of resting in a watery grave. I had yet to experience and subsequently declare 2010 ‘the greatest year of live music ever’. And Arctic Monkeys had a huge savings account of mainstream goodwill that they hadn’t yet squandered with their somewhat anti-populist tour.

I don’t know if it is because the quality of 2010’s concerts irreversibly raised my standards or if it is because Arctic Monkeys are currently caving in to popular opinion instead of sticking to their artistic guns, but something about this week’s concert really disappointed me. How this band that has only received rave reviews from me in the past suddenly ended up boring the hell out of me is kind of mystifying. I guess the answer is a combination of both aforementioned reasons.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: Sound Bites

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!

Last week we gave you music and a horse race; this week we’re offering music and food from some of DC’s best eats. Enter to win two tickets to the Sound Bites event at the 9:30 Club on Sunday, May 22. Sound Bites combines free food samples from area restaurants with performances by area bands to benefit D.C. Central Kitchen, whose programs help the area’s homeless and underprivileged via meals, outreach, and counseling services. This edition of Sound Bites features music from go-go legends Trouble Funk and area ska godfathers The Pietasters to name a few of the acts that will help you dance off all those tapas, oysters, and empenadas.

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 event are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 4pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: My Chemical Romance @ 9:30 Club, 5/10/11

All photos by Aminta S. Nieves-Candamo.

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

My Chemical Romance brought their own special brand of supercharged power-punk-goth-pop to DC’s 9:30 Club on Tuesday night. In the middle of their World Contamination Tour, they were joined by fellow New Jersey rockers Thursday, and Kansas City, Missouri’s Architects.

When I arrived at the 9:30 club on Tuesday night, I could hardly believe my eyes. It was about fifteen minutes until the 7pm door time, and the line was outrageous! It looked to be at least four people wide or more, and stretched almost three full blocks! When I joined the end of the massive line I began to feel a little bit out of place. From a glance it seemed that, oh, maybe 90% of the people in line were teens or tweens. And most of the rest looked to be the parents of said teens. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised. The thing is I’d never been to a My Chemical Romance show before, though I’ve been listening to them (and ok I admit it loving them- does this count as a guilty pleasure?) since the release of their second album “Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge” in 2004. Anyway, once the massive line snaked its way inside the club the darkness helped equalize everyone, so it didn’t matter if I was one of the few adults without kids in tow. (More to come later about the pros & cons of a teen audience.*) Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: The Twilight Singers

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 very pleased to be giving away two tickets to see The Twilight Singers perform at the 9:30 Club on Monday, May 9th. The Twilight Singers consistently deliver great live shows and their lead singer Greg Dulli is in a class all by himself. Dulli has been knock ’em dead since his days with the amazing Afghan Whigs and with The Twilight Singers has somehow managed to craft five incredible albums that started where the Whigs left off and evolved into an even more mature and emotional sound.

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…
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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Atmosphere @ 9:30 Club, 4/28


all photos by author.

As I walked down the sidewalk in front of the 9:30 Club towards the box office on Thursday afternoon, I thought I spotted a familiar face lingering amongst the crowd of fans lined up outside.

S…Slug?

Yep, it was the Minnesota rapper and leader of Atmosphere decked out in a Ben’s Chili Bowl t-shirt casually talking to fans. I picked up my ticket and headed to the back of the line and patiently waited as Slug granted every autograph request and photo op with his fans.

As the line got shorter, one of the two guys standing in front of me fumbled for something for Slug to sign.

“Uhh…can you sign my pack of Kool’s?”

“Aw, come on…gross, Kool’s?,” Slug replied with a smile as he scribbled his name down on the carton.

I’ve occasionally listened to Atmosphere over the years and knew of the rabid fan base that Slug had gained since dropping their initial album “Overcast!” in 1997. I was also aware of the kind and humble nature of Slug and I was happy to see that all the good things that I’ve read about him appeared to be true. I’ve been to my fair share of concerts and I’ve never seen anyone stand outside and talk to fans the way he did. No VIP special meet and greets here, every fan got a little face time with Slug.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Balkan Beat Box

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!

Today we’re giving away a pair of tickets to a late night party with Balkan Beat Box at 9:30 Club on Friday, April 29th (NOTE: Doors for this show are 11pm).

When some of your founding members served time with gypsy-rock phenoms Gogol Bordello and 90’s indie-rock princes Firewater, your band is guaranteed to combine global influences for an explosive good time. Balkan Beat Box specialize in an unclassifiable blend of classic Balkan and Mediterranean instrumentals, hip-hop, gypsy rock, and punk. Their live shows are pure insanity fueled by their volatile mix of diaspora sounds and high energy showmanship.

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…
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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: Scala & Kolancy Brothers

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 ticket giveaway is for a pair of tickets to see Scala & The Kolancy Brothers perform at the 9:30 Club on Monday, April 25th.

If you don’t know what the heck Scala & The Kolancy Brothers is yet, don’t feel bad, you are not alone. Odds are you might know their work without even knowing who they are. Their weird and heart-breaking cover of Radiohead’s “Creep” was used heavily in the ad campaign for the film “The Social Network” last year. That’s where I was first exposed to this massive all girl choir from Belgium and the pair of brothers who work with them. Digging into Scala a little deeper reveals a group that specializes in soul searching choral arrangements of famous pop tunes; a niche market that they have been dominating for years. Thanks in no small part to the exposure that “The Social Network” provided, Scala & The Kolancy Brothers are able to bring their live show to America. I have a feeling this is going to be an unusual and special night at the 9:30 Club.

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…
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Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat for Good Causes: Charity Events Roundup

Photo courtesy of
‘Rows of Desserts’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

You like eating to begin with. That much we know already. But it doesn’t hurt when you can eat good food and support a good cause at the same time.

After the jump, here are three upcoming charity events that incorporate some good food and good causes.
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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Cake at 9:30 Club 4/14/11


all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

Who doesn’t love Cake?

No, not the dessert (although everyone loves it, too), I’m talking about the band who has spawned such hits as “The Distance”, “Never There”, and “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”. These are songs that I think most everyone knows and everyone can sing along to. And when Cake opened up a three night set at 9:30 Club on Thursday night, that’s exactly what the entire crowd did.

No one opened up for Cake that night; as lead singer John McCrea later explained “We’re opening up for ourselves.” Before the band came out a small tree was brought out to the front of the stage and I can’t say I’d ever seen anything like that before. Shortly after 8PM, the show started by a recorded speech that would be similar to what you’d hear from a stewardess before taking off for a flight. The recording instructed audience members to turn off all electronics including cell phones and cameras. I had a good laugh as I looked around the 9:30 Club and saw people actually pulling out their phones and cameras and shutting them down in all seriousness. C’mon, didn’t you realize what band you were coming to see?

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music
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The Winning Ticket: Mogwai

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!

Now here is a ticket giveaway for a band that I personally endorse 100%. Mogwai are one of the very best live bands on the planet. They are elite. They are the special forces of the post-rock genre; of the many inspiring bands that post-rock has produced none are as consistently amazing live as them. Their concerts rattle souls. I once saw them play so furiously an amplifier burst into flames (seriously). Another time I saw them perform, they played so hard that their drummer had to be hospitalized immediately after the show. Enter to win two tickets to see Mogwai unleash their quiet beauty and thunderous power at the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, April 19th.

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…
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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Black Angels @ 9:30 Club, 4/3/11

IMG_9577
all photos by author.

On Sunday night The Black Angels played at 9:30 Club for the second time in six months. Last time they were in town, they opened for Black Mountain. This time at bat The Black Angels headlined the show, which gave them more time to marinate the audience in their dark psych-rock sound. The club was about two-thirds full, which made for a decent-sized crowd while leaving plenty of empty space for their guitars and vocals to swirl around in. The name of the game was “atmosphere” as The Black Angels enhanced their bad acid trip soundtracks with minimal red and purple lighting casting long shadows, occasionally interrupted by seizure-inducing strobes. The stage back-drop looked simple enough with its a wavy black and white pattern, but eventually continued the theme of acid freak-out as it created a number of optical illusions as different lights and projections bounced off of it. The best way to enjoy the show was to immerse yourself in The Black Angels’ audio-visual soup. Which is exactly what I did.

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Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: The Dirty Heads

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!

Two tickets to see The Dirty Heads at 9:30 Club on Monday, April 11th. You know you want them…

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…
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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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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.

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