Loi Loi performs at Rock and Roll Hotel on April 28, 2018. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Loi Loi headlined a birthday show in honor of frontwoman Kristie Di Lascio at Rock and Roll Hotel Saturday. An enthusiastic crowd turned up for Loi Loi, Mundy, Nihiloceros, and Time Is Fire! We arrived in time to surf some new wave melodies with Loi Loi and Mundy, both buoyed by high spirits and awash in cool tunes.
As Loi Loi, Kristie and bassist Tyler Cole performed catchy crowd-pleasers like “1985” and “You May Be,” taking the audience back to the sound of the ’80s with upbeat synths and rumbling bass paired with wistful, yearning lyrics. The duo also played a few new (to me) songs like “Do You Want to Start a War?,” another fabulously fashioned retro tune that manages to be a lot of fun while still drawing a synthline in the sand. The new songs are slated to appear on what is sure to be a very good album indeed due later this year from DC’s Blight Records.
Later in the set, Loi Loi are joined by guests to become Loi Loi Expanded Edition, as friends Maryjo Mattea, Ginny Hill, Matt Dowling (The Effects, Swoll), and Ron Storhaug (formerly of Lightfoot) pick up backing vocals and instruments and fill out the sound for the set’s final numbers, including “Egipto” and “Only Girl.”
Catch Loi Loi next locally at Black Cat on June 21. Kristie and Tyler have been performing a lot of shows lately, so they may well storm a stage sometime before then.
Here are some pictures of Loi Loi performing at Rock and Roll Hotel on April 28, 2018. Much body paint and black light were deployed in birthday celebration.
Earlier in the evening, Mundy Spears made a slightly delayed entrance to give the audience time to enjoy the band who perform in the act that bears her name. And what a band! You could listen to the soul stylings of Eric Robinson (guitar), Ernest Douglas (guitar), Jason Wilson (bass), Donovan Duvall (drums), and critically Kwesi Lee (keyboards) themselves all evening and thoroughly enjoy the night. Eric was particularly memorable, jamming on his guitar at front of stage for several extended riffs.
The likes of Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, and George Clinton would surely find a lot to like in the Mundy band, which transformed a bit when punk chanteuse Mundy herself added cabaret sophistication and frolicsomeness as frontwoman. The band grooved through soulful new wave tunes like “High,” “Dehumanize,” and “Physical Fusion” in a manner akin to Nile Rodgers and Carlos Alomar backing Cyndi Lauper, who really wants to sing about space.
And of course, Mundy covered “Reading Rainbow,” the theme from the LeVar Burton-hosted education program, as only Mundy could. Catch Mundy next on June 4 at DC9!
Here are some pictures of Mundy performing at Rock and Roll Hotel on April 28, 2018.
