J. Cole performs at Capital One Arena on Oct. 8, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
Kids On Drugs. King Overdosed. Kill Our Demons. The words written in a crude scrawl hung over the stage prior to Jermaine Cole’s performance earlier this week at the Capital One Arena. The Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper, better known as J. Cole, gave a powerful performance that delved into weighty topics.
Maxwell performs at MGM National Harbor on Oct. 4, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
Grammy award-winning R&B singer-songwriter Maxwell made a recent stop at The Theater at MGM National Harbor as part of the 50 Intimate Nights Live Tour. It has been over 20 years since the release of his debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite (1996), but the silky soul singer showed that he’s still got it!
Maxwell, along with artists like Erykah Badu and D’Angelo, have been credited as the originators of neo-soul. The genre that dominated the late ‘90s and early aughts incorporated jazz, funk, and hip-hop into a contemporary R&B sound.
Khruangbin performs at The Anthem on Oct. 3, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
Houston, Texas three-piece band Khruangbin was in town recently, supporting fellow Texan Leon Bridges on the Good Thing Tour. Band members Laura Lee on bass, guitarist Mark Speer, and drummer Donald “DJ” Johnson, brought their soul-infused psychedelic funk to DC’s The Anthem theater for the sold-out show.
Leon Bridges performs at The Anthem on Oct. 3, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
If you’re not from Texas, you may not know that Fort Worth is also known as Funky Town. This often overlooked city, 32 miles east of Dallas, is also home to soul and R&B singer Leon Bridges. The DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) singer-songwriter made a recent stop in the DMV to perform to a sold-out concert hall audience at The Anthem.
SZA performs at Trillectro at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sept. 22, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
The weather is becoming more unpredictable each year, but our music festival calendars will never steer us wrong. The arrival of Coachella tells us Spring has sprung, and Firefly signals Summer. This year, the first day of fall was marked by the triumphant return of the Trillectro Music Festival.
Residente performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Sept. 19, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
Multi-Grammy award winning musician René Pérez Joglar, also known as Residente of alternative rap group Calle 13, brought his ingenious and irreverent rhymes to The Fillmore Silver Spring recently.
Hudson Taylor (Photo courtesy Big Hassle)
It has been a busy 12 months for Irish pop-Americana duo Hudson Taylor. Brothers Alfie and Harry Hudson Taylor have been true road warriors, living out of suitcases, while selling out shows in Ireland and across Europe. North America will be the next leg of their seemingly nonstop tour schedule. The band will open for Hozier on Oct. 2 at DC’s Lincoln Theater (its sold out) and headline Songbyrd Music House on Thursday, Oct. 4. Alfie Hudson-Taylor talks to Parklife DC about his experiences as a young musician.
