Camper Van Beethoven (Photo courtesy the artist)

I’ve always considered it the best concert trick ever when you can open for yourself, but that’s exactly what David Lowery has made a living doing in recent years as his band Camper Van Beethoven opens his band Cracker (or vice versa). You can catch Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker at 9:30 Club on Thursday, Jan. 11, and you can pull a concert trick of your own by winning tickets to go with Parklife DC.

Well, to be fair, the mix of grunge, psychedelia, blues, and folk that drives Cracker wouldn’t be possible without the band’s co-founder and guitarist Johnny Hickman. And the punk, ska, and alt-country leanings of Camper Van Beethoven really hinge on its longtime members bassist Victor Krummenacher, violinist Jonathan Segel, and guitarist Greg Lisher.

Instead of trying to explain it further, listen to both bands now to remind yourself of how original both were when they blasted into their respective music scenes!

Watch the official music video for megahit “Low” by Cracker on YouTube:

Watch the official music video for “Take the Skinheads Bowling” by Camper Van Beethoven on YouTube:

Parklife DC is giving away a pair of tickets to see Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at 9:30 Club. To win, simply leave a comment on this blog. You can leave any comment, but we would like to know your favorite song by Cracker or Camper Van Beethoven.

For the rules of this giveaway–

Comments will be closed at 5pm on Friday, 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. We will email you instructions on claiming your ticket. Good luck!

If you don’t win, buy your tickets online.

Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven
9:30 Club
Thursday, Jan. 11
Doors @ 7pm
$25
All ages