Oh He Dead released Ugly, a new album, last year, and they have been touring it on the road! The DC soul superstars recently performed live at 9:30 Club, and Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the action!
The following article is adapted from a press release.
The “shadow-side” and follow-up to 2023’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. Oh He Dead played this and other songs from Ugly at 9:30 Club on April 19.
Watch Oh He Dead perform “Strange Love” for Audiotree Live 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 says. “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. After submitting the video to NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest, the track went viral, attracting fans far afield of their beloved DC. Their self-titled debut album followed that same year, introducing the band with several songs Johnson wrote while still in high school.
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.”
DC native Kokayi opened the show at 9:30 Club.
Here are some photos of Oh He Dead performing live at 9:30 Club on April 19, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Kokayi opening Oh He Dead at 9:30 Club on April 19, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
