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Live Review: Hanson @ Rams Head Live — 10/11+10/12/24

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With nine albums and three Grammy nominations under their belts, the Hanson brothers have been going strong since their debut in 1997. Isaac (vocals/guitar), Taylor(vocals/piano/guitar), and Zac Hanson (vocals/drums) are currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of their third record, Underneath, with the Underneath Experience Tour. 

In addition to the tour, the trio released Underneath Complete, a re-release or, rather, a re-working of their 2004 album along with new songs and demos from around the time of its original release. The album anniversary also coincides with the anniversary of the brothers’ record label 3CG Records.  

Hanson recently appeared at Rams Head Live with a unique tour set-up that had the group performing one night of acoustic songs and a second night of primarily electric numbers in back-to-back performances.

Live Review: Eliza McLamb @ Ottobar — 10/11/24

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For all the fans of “sad-girl-indie,” Eliza McLamb is your next obsession. The 23-year-old from North Carolina released her debut album Going Through It in January of this year; it’s a hidden gem that deserves time to shine.

I had the pleasure of seeing Eliza live for the first time back in March at Union Stage in Washington, DC, so I was thrilled to see that the second leg of the tour recently included a stop in Baltimore — my home city. I hadn’t visited Ottobar since before the pandemic; I forgot that when you walk into the venue, the stage is immediately on the right. Ottobar is also covered in stickers, posters, and art that make it feel like a museum. Every crevice feels like a piece of history. There were probably about 100ish patrons in the venue, which made for a wildly up-close-and-personal performance.

Snapshots: Nothing But Thieves @ The Anthem — 10/8/24

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In 2023, English alt rockers Nothing But Thieves released Dead Club City, the band’s fourth studio album. They returned this year with a deluxe edition of the record and an accompanying world tour!

Nothing But Thieves recently visited The Anthem in DC on their Welcome to The DCC World Tour, and Carolin Harvey was there to photograph the show!

Live Review: Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov @ Pier Six Pavilion — 10/8/24

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Autumn is a mindful time for music listeners as tastes and moods turn with the leaves

But it sees the dwindling of opportunities to enjoy live music outside, including here in the DMV where some of the larger venues are wrapping up after an eventful season.

A festive and vocal crowd of revelers seized the chance on Oct. 8 to enjoy not one but two widely beloved songwriters at Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore as Ray LaMontagne and Gregory Alan Isakov co-headlined the 4,600-person Charm City venue that extends into the Inner Harbor.

These two celebrated artists both executed magical sets last Tuesday night before the sold-out audience as wind whipped all around the massive tent and fans underneath it hooted and hollered.

Preview: Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets @ The Atlantis, 10/21/24

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In September, Nick Lowe released Indoor Safari, his first full-length album in over a decade. This 12-song collection represents the culmination of Lowe’s longtime working relationship with Los Straitjackets — America’s beloved masked men of surf-and-spy guitar instrumentals — and serves as “a masterclass in songwriting” (The Sun) as Lowe “plunges back into the kicky, witty pop that first set him apart” (Rolling Stone).

Nick Lowe is on tour to support the new album, and he’s performing at The Atlantis in DC for two dates. The first is sold out, but tickets remain for Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets at The Atlantis on Monday, Oct. 21!

Live Review: The California Honeydrops @ 9:30 Club — 10/5/24

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The California Honeydrops: Subway Buskers No More
Words by Dan Rozman
Photos by Mark Raker

The California Honeydrops recently brought their soulful energy to DC’s 9:30 Club, packing the house with fans ready to groove. Their Fall in Love Again Tour stop proved why they’ve come so far from their Oakland subway busking days to selling out iconic venues.

Live Review: Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival @ Sandy Point State Park (Annapolis, MD) — 9/21-9/22/24

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Music, Memories, and a Mission: Baygrass Festival Unites Fans for the Chesapeake Bay
Words by Dan Rozman
Photos by Mark Raker and Brett Armstrong

What’s better than spending a perfect fall weekend at the beach? How about adding some amazing bluegrass music to the mix? That’s exactly what happened at the second annual Annapolis Baygrass Music Festival, held right on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman summed up the excitement as he arrived: “What a beautiful place to be, a bunch of our friends are here, and this looks like this is going to be some kind of fun. Great turnout and beautiful weather.”

Preview: The The @ The Anthem — 10/14/24

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In September, The The released Ensoulment, the band’s first studio album in a quarter century. Now, frontman Matt Johnson has marshaled his collective for a North American tour that arrives at The Anthem in DC on Monday, Oct. 14!

Live Review: The Mountain Goats w/ Tift Merritt @ The Birchmere — 10/8/24

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John Darnielle, the singer-songwriter at the core of The Mountain Goats, may be the most prolific songwriter in the world. Since he started recording in lo-fi on a tape machine by himself more than 30 years ago, he’s released about 600 original songs.

I’m not ashamed to say that, while I’ve listened to his catalog several times, I still struggle to identify his songs. I have a freakishly good memory, but there’s too many even for me to remember them all. The upside of the size of his catalog is that, while there some songs repeated on the second of his two recent nights at The Birchmere, the two sets were quite different from each other, and from what he played at Wolf Trap in August.

Live Review: The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain @ The Anthem — 10/6/24

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Two enduring British bands built around brothers — both of which put their indelible stamp on the 1980s — are co-headlining a North American tour at this very moment, and it is a must-see concert for any fan of thoughtful, poignant music.

The Psychedelic Furs — with core duo Richard and Tim Butler — and The Jesus and Mary Chain — with principals Jim and William Reid — complemented each other wonderfully while covering distinct sonic ground in their recent performance at The Anthem in DC.