Let’s call it like it is: if you didn’t make it to DC9 the night of Feb. 25, you missed one of the wildest parties in town.
It was the first-time in the nation’s capital for RIO KOSTA, a Los Angeles-based project led by multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Mike Del Rio and Kosta Galanopoulos.
Listen to Unicorn, the premier studio album from LA-based RIO KOSTA, on Spotify:
While the group has just one studio album to its name — Unicorn, released last summer — RIO KOSTA has quickly made a name for itself in and around Los Angeles, playing select shows as a two-man outfit or as an expanded six-piece group.
The band leaders’ influences are wide and deep, but the sound they’ve found together might be best described as having a “global energy.”
Watch the official music video for RIO KOSTA’s premier title track, “Unicorn,” on YouTube:
RIO KOSTA was a five-man operation last Wednesday evening as the crew filled DC9 with enthusiastic ticketholders, delighting the packed venue with most of the tunes from the group’s Verdigris Records premier, including the title track and favorites like “Mountain Top” and “Ancients.”
Parklife DC was there to take in the spectacular set.
Below are digital shots of RIO KOSTA performing at DC9 in Washington DC the night of Feb. 25, 2026. All photos copyright and courtesy of Casey Ryan Vock.
