DC’s own Oh He Dead recently performed at Capital One Hall, and Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show.
This article was adapted from a press release.
Hailed by The Washington Post for their “infectious and soulful sound,” Washington DC-based indie soul band Oh He Dead released their new album, Ugly, in August. The band performed at The Vault at Capital One Hall in support of the album on Dec. 5.
The “shadow-side” and follow-up to last year’s acclaimed Pretty, Ugly was first unveiled with the provocative first single, “Strange Love.” A blast of Technicolor on a wave of sultry synths, the track is told from the POV of a sex worker who has fallen in love with her john.
“Strange Love” is among the highlights of Oh He Dead’s 2024 Audiotree Live session. Filmed and recorded this spring in Chicago, Audiotree declared the performance as “a firecracker explosion of euphoric pop, the likes of which you’ve never seen.”
Watch Oh He Dead perform “Strange Love” live for Audiotree on YouTube:
The origins of Oh He Dead run deep, forged from the years-long relationship between frontwoman CJ Johnson and manager/collaborator Claire Newbegin — which started when the latter taught Johnson in high school history and musical theater.
“Whether as Rizzo in Grease or Maureen in Rent, she was just a forcefield,” Newbegin said. “By the time she graduated, I’m pretty sure the whole school knew she was going to be a rock star of sorts.”
Oh He Dead rounded out over the ensuing years, adding Alex Salser (guitar), Adam Ashforth (drums), Piano Whitman (keys), John Daise (bass), and Colin Sidley (bass). The band officially broke through in 2018 after recording the groovy “Lonely Sometimes” at Salser’s studio, The Lily Pad, located in a converted barn in the wilds of Virginia.
The close-knit crew developed further by playing live as often as possible, winning over audiences across the country with their contagious joy and Johnson’s powerful voice and on-stage presence. Pretty arrived in 2023, earning national acclaim for a soulful approach that fuses pain and joy into a sound as smooth and lux as leather, but also rich with levity like a feather in flight. Those same contrasts and contradictions that fuel their music are perhaps best summed up by the origin of the band’s distinctive moniker. When asked what happened to a cheating boy who was shot by his lover in a song of hers, Johnson responded bluntly, “Oh, he dead.”
Here are some photos of Oh He Dead performing at Capital One Hall on Dec. 5, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
