In a recent brilliant show at DAR Constitution Hall, Indiana native John Mellencamp delivered a perfect mix of pile-driving rock, tender moments, and social conscience. This dynamite performance showed why Mellencamp was and continues to be incredibly popular: He’s a fantastic performer with excellent songs.
Home Blog
Live Review: Humbird @ Pearl Street Warehouse — 4/17/24
When I saw Humbird open for Margo Cilker last October at DC9, it was just Siri Undlin — the singer-songwriter at the heart of the band — playing solo acoustic. When she recently played the Pearl Street Warehouse, she brought her band for a show that was electric, both in its instrumentation and quality. There were still some gentle, quieter moments in the set, but I was impressed with how hard they rocked.
Snapshots: Drop Nineteens @ The Atlantis — 4/17/24
In 2023, Boston shoegazers Drop Nineteens reunited to make an album, Hard Light, their first full-length record in 30 years!
Drop Nineteens recently performed some new songs as well as some memorable numbers from their debut album, Delaware, at The Atlantis in DC. Nalinee Darmrong was there to photograph the show.
Live Review: Madison Cunningham and Juana Molina @ Wolf Trap — 4/16/23
At the beginning of their recent appearance at The Barns at Wolf Trap, Madison Cunningham introduced Juana Molina as her “musical hero.” Cunningham spoke of growing up in a “very sheltered environment” and hearing Molina’s music when she was 17. Madison confessed that this tour was a little “self-indulgent,” giving her the chance to share a stage with Molina and watch her perform.
Snapshots: Yola @ The Atlantis — 4/15/24
English Americana singer-songwriter Yola recently performed at The Atlantis in DC, where she spotlighted her second studio full-length album, Stand for Myself.
Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show!
Snapshots: Real Estate @ 9:30 Club — 4/15/24
Burdensome it must be for a band to refresh or augment itself once it’s established an inviting and marked sound.
But Real Estate has shown fortitude and a careful attention to detail across its half dozen studio albums, including Daniel, released on Domino in late February.
With the newest recording, and a spring run of shows dubbed the Infinite Jangle Tour, this steadfast group from New Jersey and now headquartered in the Big Apple builds its case as a standalone outfit on the bustling American indie rock scene.
Live Review: Lee Fields @ 9:30 Club — 4/13/24
Plenty of musicians can last as they age, but not all of them can thrive and continue to lead by example.
With an astounding career that spans seven decades, Lee Fields is somehow still rising high and showing others exactly how it could and probably should be done.
At a sold-out 9:30 Club recently, the “soul of soul music,” as Lee was introduced, guided the nation’s capital to a wildly good time and most likely altered the lives of everyone in the room for the better.
Live Review: Leo Kottke @ The Birchmere — 4/14/24
Leo Kottke is quite the character. During his recent show at The Birchmere, the acoustic guitar virtuoso’s stage banter went all over the place — at one point, he somehow got to talking about aardvarks. (Perhaps anteaters would have made more sense.) And yet, somehow, it worked, making for an entertaining evening of originals, covers, and instrumentals.
Live Review: JJ Grey & Mofro @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 4/13/24
JJ Grey & Mofro’s fans in the DMV had been waiting a while to see the northern Florida roots-rock band. “It’s been a minute since we played DC,” he recently said at The Fillmore Silver Spring. “This is the longest we’ve been out,” JJ said of their current tour.
The longer tour swing, JJ explained, was necessary to do the show he wanted to do, with a horn section and chorus of backup singers. “We normally do this at home,” he said, referencing Jacksonville, where nearly all of his band came from. He alluded to people talking about “JJ Grey 2.0”, but said, “This is the way it’s always been, since 2007.”
Live Review: Swans @ The Howard Theater — 4/12/24
The Howard Theater was the recent site of a concert experience unlike anything I have ever experienced before. It was the musical equivalent of a nuclear bomb.
There are not many bands that can claim that kind of description; however, Swans is one of them. They opened the American leg of their tour to support the latest album, The Beggar, in DC.