DC’s top blog for live concert reviews
Broke Royals frontman Philip Basnight performs at DC9, Aug. 16, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss/ aristrauss.com)
Broke Royals recently concluded an intensive 10-day tour with a hometown performance at DC9. The DC-based power-pop group, and winners of Parklife DC’s 2018 inaugural Thrushie Award for best local band, put in 12 performances across the Midwest and the Atlantic coast over 10 days, reaching as far as Milwaukee, to promote their new album, Saint Luxury.
Kentucky Avenue’s Stella Schindler and Dave Ries perform at The Birchmere, July 27, 2018. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
Local alt-country band Kentucky Avenue debuts its quartet lineup when original members Dave Ries (lead guitar/vocals) and Stella Schindler (lead vocals/guitar) are joined by fiddler Michael Taylor and bassist Greg Watkins for performance at Villain & Saint on Friday, Aug. 16.
Teddy Scott (left) and Paul Gregg (right) of Bencoolen perform at The Hamilton Live, Aug. 10, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss/ aristrauss.com)
DC-based Bencoolen performed an opening set at The Hamilton Live recently, delivering an energized 45-minute set to warm the crowd for the jazz/funk sextet Naughty Professor from New Orleans.
Justin Trawick, The Circus Life podcast host and lead singer of Justin Trawick and the Common Good, performs at 9:30 Club, July 27, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss/ aristrauss.com)
“Life’s a circus and this is The Circus Life.”
Frequent listeners to the Circus Life podcast recognize that phrase because it’s how host Justin Trawick begins each episode of the podcast which is recorded live in remote locations in and around the nation’s capital. The interview-based podcast features conversations between Justin and influential and interesting individuals in music and culture.
L-R: G.E. Smith, Tom Principato, and Jim Weider; The Masters of the Telecaster perform at Rams Head on Stage, July 26, 2019. (Photos by Ari Strauss/ aristrauss.com)
Jim Weider and G.E. Smith, the Masters of the Telecaster, came to town recently to join with local guitar legend Tom Principato for a pair of back-to-back weekend gigs at Rams Head on Stage in Annapolis and City Winery in Ivy City DC. The performances were billed as a tribute to Roy Buchanan, another DC guitar legend and pioneer of the Telecaster sound.
Lori McKenna performs her album, Bittertown, at City Winery DC, July 24, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss/ aristrauss.com)
Bittertown was undoubtedly Lori McKenna’s breakthrough album. Its release attracted the attention of Faith Hill, who went on to cover three songs from the album and paved Lori’s way to a successful songwriting career in Nashville.
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John Mayer performs at Capital One Arena, July 23, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss/ aristrauss.com)
Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and guitarist John Mayer brought his much anticipated Summer Tour 2019 to DC recently, playing to a packed crowd in Chinatown’s Capital One Arena.
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