Music Park: Zipper Club (Opened for The Sounds) @ 9:30 Club — 11/28/16

Posted on 12/01/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, alternative, indie pop, The Sounds, Zipper Club.

Lissy Trullie of Zipper Club performs at the 9:30 Club on 11/28/16

Zipper Club, out of Los Angeles, gave the crowd flowing in to witness The Sounds at the 9:30 Club last Monday a bright and hopeful look at what’s to come.

Music Park: Ingrid Michaelson @ Lincoln Theatre — 11/21/16

Posted on 11/23/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged folk pop, Hell No Tour, indie pop, Ingrid Michaelson, Lincoln Theatre.

Ingrid Michaelson and band on the Hell No Tour (10/26/16) in LA (Photo Credit: Justin Higuchi)

With notes and remembrances writ large behind the stage, Ingrid Michaelson and her merry band regaled the sold out Lincoln Theatre on November 21st with songs of longing and heartache and empowerment.

In fact, we knew we were in for an entertaining night when Ingrid exclaimed, “DC! So nice, doing me twice.” Referring, of course, to the fact she was playing at The Lincoln Theatre for two nights.

Ingrid’s show was about having fun, and it was clear that she was enjoying herself immensely, with a wry smile on her face at all times and a steady supply of jokes and stories.

Music Park: The Naked and Famous @ Lincoln Theatre — 11/15/16

Posted on 11/18/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged electronic, indie rock, Lincoln Theatre, New Zealand, Simple Forms, The Naked and Famous.

The Naked and Famous at the House of Blues in Cleveland, OH on 3/10/14 (Photo Credit: The Zender Agenda)

The Naked and Famous punched in to the Lincoln Theatre on November 15th for one thing. To entertain us with songs from their excellent new album, Simple Forms.

No commentary. Little talking, except briefly at the end. Their focus was music. Pure. Simple. Like the album title. And their energy was palpable.

They gave us a tight 1 hour 20 minutes and a lively 16 songs, amidst a spare stage that pulsated and lit up beautifully in the dim theater. The theater may have been dimly lit, but it sparked with a packed crowd that wouldn’t sit and merged up through the aisles, eagerly exerting themselves towards the stage where Alisa Xayalith (lead vocals and keyboard) and Thom Powers (guitar and vocals) danced and sang.

Music Park: Dilly Dally @ Echostage — 11/9/16

Posted on 11/10/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged Alternative rock, Canada, Dilly Dally, Echostage, Grouplove, Muna.

Dilly Dally at Rough Trade on January 6, 2016 (Photo Credit: Paul Hudson)

Dilly Dally, a Canadian rock band from Toronto, opened the Grouplove show at Echostage to a rather somber post-election faction.

Everyone looked like they just found out their dog died…indeed if I had counted all the times someone voiced their displeasure from the bands (Muna was also opening) or from the audience, I’d have no time to watch the show!

So, as a much needed distraction, we were gifted live music. Lots of music.

Music Park: TORRES @ 9:30 Club — 11/6/16

Posted on 11/08/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Alternative rock, indie rock, Mackenzie Scott, Sprinter, TORRES.

TORRES (Photo Credit: Shawn Brackbill)

As the green and purple lights flickered in and out, casting an enigmatic glow upon the stage, Mackenzie Scott pleaded, ‘Come out wherever you are.’ in the thoughtful and sorrowful song “Helen”.

Known as TORRES, Mackenzie warmed up the 9:30 Club crowd on November 6th spilling in for the first night of Tegan and Sara’s two shows. Indeed, just to get in for doors open the line extended down the block and around the corner. Something I’ve rarely seen at the 9:30 Club.

Don’t Miss: Zipper Club (Opening for The Sounds) @ 9:30 Club, 11/28/16

Posted on 11/07/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, alternative, indie pop, Lissy Trullie, The Sounds, Zipper Club.

Zipper Club (Photo from Zipper Club FB)

The Sounds return to the 9:30 Club on November 28th bringing along two openers!

One opener you’ll definitely want to catch is Zipper Club. They are a new band out of Los Angeles made up of Mason James (guitar) of Cerebral Ballzy, Damar Davis (drums) and fronted by musician and model Lissy Trullie.

Their sound is as infectious as The Sounds, where Lissy’s voice and the synth-laden beats make a perfect fit as an opener.

The first single, “Going the Distance”, has done well on Billboard’s Alternative Songs Chart. It is instantly danceable and a song you will put on repeat until your music delivery system breaks down.

They are working on their debut album with producer James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins), so be on the look out.

We know you can’t wait to catch The Sounds perform live, but now make sure you get to the 9:30 Club with enough time to witness Zipper Club. Good exercise after the long Thanksgiving weekend.

Tickets are available and can be found here.

Zipper Club (Opening for The Sounds)
w/ My Jeruselem
9:30 Club
Monday, November 28
Doors 7:00pm
$25
All ages

Don’t Miss: Ingrid Michaelson @ Lincoln Theatre, 11/21 & 11/22/16

Posted on 11/04/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged folk pop, Hell No Tour, indie pop, Ingrid Michaelson, It Doesn't Have To Make Sense, Lincoln Theatre.

Ingrid Michaelson’s Hell No Tour (Photo from Ingrid Michaelson FB)

Ingrid Michaelson will bring the Lincoln Theatre to life for two nights, November 21st and 22nd, during her Hell No Tour. The tour spans the country and the final two nights are in DC!

She’s supporting her seventh album, It Doesn’t Have To Make Sense, released in April 2016. Although I haven’t listened to many of the songs from this album, I liked her previous two albums, especially 2012’s Human Again. Indeed the song “Do It Now” was among my most played songs that year.

The new “Hell No” is an upbeat ode to breaking up and not missing that person at all. The video is a Snapchatesque cornucopia of weird things happening to Ingrid’s face. Kind of funny.

(Updated) The second night is sold out, but you can still get tickets to the November 21st show. Buy your tickets here.

This will be my first time to catch Ingrid perform live. Should be a good time. Don’t get FOMO and regret missing this show!

Ingrid Michaelson
w/ AJR
Lincoln Theatre
Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22, 2016 (second night sold out)
Doors 6:30pm
$55
All ages

Don’t Miss: TORRES (Opening for Tegan and Sara) @ 9:30 Club, 11/6 & 11/7/16

Posted on 11/04/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Alternative rock, indie rock, TORRES.

TORRES (Photo Credit: Shawn Brackbill)

Both Tegan and Sara shows at the 9:30 Club (November 6th and 7th) are sold out, as you may have noticed.

If you don’t have a ticket yet (what?), be resourceful! But if you do already have your ticket, you’ll want to get there early to catch TORRES (aka Mackenzie Scott) as she once again visits DC, this time as the opener for both shows.

TORRES came through DC last January and I caught her performance as she pulled double duty as the opener of both Garbage shows in October 2015. Read that review here.

Her most recent album, last year’s Sprinter, includes the self-titled single and “Strange Hellos”, which glides slowly before jumping to a full-throttle growl of emotion and sound. A theme you will become familiar with.

Remember, get there early!

TORRES (Opening for Tegan and Sara)
9:30 Club
Sunday, November 6 and Monday, November 7, 2016
Doors 7pm
$36 (Sold Out)
All ages

Around Town: The Emporiyum @ Union Market, 11/12 & 11/13/16

Posted on 11/03/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Around Town, Food Talk and tagged food, food festival, The Emporiyum DC, Union Market.

The Emporiyum is tasty (Photo from http://theemporiyum.com/)

It’s that time once again to start focusing on food. Amazing, delicious food. Cookies, cakes and pies, ramen burgers (yes, it exists), lobster, dumplings, cheese, bacon, beignets, buns, beer and more!

Don’t worry, I’ll give you a moment to take all that in.

All good? On November 12th and 13th the Emporiyum returns to Union Market with over 90 purveyors of food, artisans and vendors.

A ticket gets you into the marketplace, where you can sample, sip, shop and generally be immersed in all things food-inspired.

There will also be a DJ and hand-crafted items to browse and buy.

Make a day of it or just go for a couple of hours – the ticket options are flexible.

Buy your tickets here.

The Emporiyum DC
Union Market & Dock 5 (1309 5th St NE)
Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13, 2016
10:00am-3:00pm (depending on ticket)
$15 (Entry: 1:30pm), $25 (Early Entry: 11:00am Entry), $40 (VIP Entry: 10:00am)
All ages (12 and under are free)

Don’t Miss: Dilly Dally (Opening for Grouplove) @ Echostage, 11/9/16

Posted on 10/28/2016 by Jeremy Bailey in Live Review and tagged Alternative rock, Canada, Dilly Dally, Echostage, Grouplove, Toronto.

Dilly Dally at Rough Trade on January 6, 2016 (Photo Credit: Paul Hudson)

If you’re planning on hitting the Grouplove show on Wednesday, November 9th at Echostage, make a point to get there early and catch the opener, Dilly Dally.

Even if you don’t currently have designs on the Grouplove show, still give Dilly Dally a listen and see if that 1-2 punch doesn’t change your mind!

Dilly Dally’s latest EP is titled fkkt, a remix of many of their songs from their debut album, Sore.

These alternative rock Canadians (from Toronto) haven’t been around long, they released Sore in 2015 but band members Katie Monks and Liz Ball were first connected in high school. Some have likened their sound to Sonic Youth or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but either way it’s loud and growly, yet manages to include a pop-like sound, as evidenced by “Desire”.