Author: Chris R. Smyth

Interview: Brent Smith of Shinedown (@ Out of the Darkness Community Walk — 11/2/19)

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Brent Smith of Shinedown participates in the Out of the Darkness Walk on Nov. 2, 2019. (Photo by Chris Smyth)

An hour before sunset on Saturday, more than 2,500 people disembarked from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for a long trek around the tidal basin. The walk was part of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness Walk.

Leading the walk for the second straight year was Brent Smith, lead singer of Shinedown. Invited by radio station DC 101, and walking as part of their One More Light team, Brent took the time to talk with many of the participants, and to lend a compassionate ear to those who told him of the reasons why they were walking.

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Live Review: Andy Grammer @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 10/1/19

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Andy Grammer performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Oct. 1, 2019. (Photo by Chris Smyth)

It takes supreme confidence to begin a concert with a spoken word poem followed by a gentle, acoustic ballad. Neither tend to elicit the excited energy that is often expected at the start of a pop show, but Andy Grammer proved that expectations can be mistaken when he recently electrified the crowd at The Fillmore Silver Spring by doing exactly that.

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Live Review: Dirty Honey @ MECU Pavilion — 9/22/19

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Dirty Honey performs at MECU Pavilion on Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo by Chris Smyth)

The amber sky from the evening’s sunset set a beautiful atmosphere as Dirty Honey took the stage to open the Victorious Sky tour with Alter Bridge and Skillet. While nature’s beauty was on exhibit high above, beneath the canopy at Baltimore’s MECU Pavilion recently, a night of music was commenced by one of rock and roll’s next big things.

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Live Review: Skillet @ MECU Pavilion — 9/22/19

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Skillet performs at MECU Pavilion on Sept. 22. 2019. (Photo by Chris Smyth)

If you think a Christian band can’t rock as hard as their contemporaries, then you’ve never been to a Skillet concert. The rock quartet put on a stage show as captivating as anything going today at MECU Pavilion recently.

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Live Review: Knotfest Roadshow @ Jiffy Lube Live — 9/1/19

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Slipknot performs at Jiffy Lube Live on Sept. 1, 2019. (Photo by Chris Smyth)

The Knotfest Roadshow tore into Jiffy Lube Live recently, featuring a quartet of some of the heaviest metal bands from around the world. The tour’s creators, Slipknot, were joined in support by three bands from Europe- Behemoth (Poland), Gojira (France), and Volbeat (Denmark).

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Live Review: The Smashing Pumpkins @ Merriweather Post Pavilion — 8/17/19

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The Smashing Pumpkins perform at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Aug. 17, 2019 (Photo by Chris Smyth)

“Making teenagers depressed is like shooting fish in a barrel.”- Bart Simpson, 1996.

In the 23 years since The Simpsons took their playful shot at The Smashing Pumpkins’ music, those “depressed teens” have grown into adults who now have a whole new list of issues causing their anxiety. Their worries about the SATs, school bullies, annoying parents, and a bleak view for the world’s future have become fears of paying bills, a government they don’t trust, kids who won’t listen, and a bleak view of the world as it is today.

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