Preview: Patti Smith @ The Anthem, 9/16/23
The legendary punk poet Patti Smith performs at The Anthem in DC on Saturday, Sept. 16.
Live Review: The Black Crowes @ After Hours Pavilion in The Meadow Event Park (Doswell, VA) — 9/8/23
The Black Crowes
After Hours Pavilion at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Virginia
Sept. 8, 2023
On Friday night, the Black Crowes took a quick break from the Aerosmith farewell tour and played a solo gig at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Virginia.
Live Review: Brett Dennen w/ Monroe Via @ The Birchmere — 9/8/23
Brett Dennen may not have the biggest following, but his following is passionate and dedicated. During his solo acoustic set at The Birchmere on Friday, the audience sang along with many of Bret’s tunes.
Born in California’s Central Valley in 1979, Brett’s parents homeschooled him and exposed him to classic rock. Given his style of music, it’s a bit surprising that he played in a jam band while studying philosophy and sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz. After graduating in 2002, he decided to try his hand at at a professional solo career, released his self-titled debut album independently in 2005. Since then, he’s released albums that cover diverse musical territory, with 2011’s Loverboy incorporating African sounds and the reggae-flavored Por Favor in 2016. While his musical purview has expanded, he’s also made stripped-down albums like 2013’s Smoke and Mirrors.
Snapshots: The Hu @ Rams Head Live! — 9/7/23
Mongolian masters of metal The Hu appeared at Rams Head Live! recently for a show in their Psycho Thunder Tour, a co-headlining tour with Asking Alexandria.
Katherine Gaines was there to photograph The Hu in all of their rock glory.
Live Review: Jeff Rosenstock @ 9:30 Club — 9/6/23
Jeff Rosenstock’s got a particularly perceptive and clairvoyant view on this world, and that comes through in his song lyrics and his words off the stage.
The Long Island native turned SoCal sun worshipper just turned 41 years old, but having made music for most of his life, he seems to have raised his trajectory as more and more listeners are taking a liking to his style, sound, and energy while he continues to craft his own potent and stirring brand of pop punk.
With his latest album, HELLMODE, Rosenstock artfully ratchets up the sentiment across 11 tracks that amount to a powerful, emotive addition to an explosive catalogue that he began creating as an ambitious and visionary teenager.
Live Review: The Postal Service and Death Cab For Cutie w/ Lauren Mayberry @ The Anthem — 9/6/23
The roar from the crowd. I was busy doing my thing in the photo pit, but you couldn’t help but pause and take it in. Not even three minutes into their set, the 6,000-strong sellout DC crowd was absolutely bursting at the seams to scream “DC sleeps alone tonight” as loud as possible as The Postal Service started their set with the first track off of their album “Give Up.” It was a moment, one of the coolest I’ve experienced at The Anthem.
Live Review: X w/ Squirrel Nut Zippers @ 9:30 Club — 9/5/23
LA punk, and the most prominent product of that scene, X, was always more eclectic and broad than the New York version. Clear elements of rockabilly can be heard in their sound, and band made a country album, Poor Little Critter On The Road, under the name The Knitters.
While it might seem like the Squirrel Nut Zippers — who spearheaded the ’90s swing revival — were a weird fit to play with X in their recent appearance at the 9:30 Club, it made complete sense, even if the bands sound very different.
Live Review: Mr. Bungle @ Rams Head Live! — 9/5/23
Back in the mid-1980s, before Mike Patton fronted the legendary band Faith No More, he and his band Mr. Bungle put together a demo tape titled, “The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny.” It was pure thrash metal made by teenagers in Northern California. It was also much different from the avant punk / ska / metal that they would evolve into by the time their debut album would be released in 1991.
In late 2020, amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, a reformed Mr. Bungle re-recorded that demo after a series of reunion shows where they played the demo with original members Patton, Trey Spruance, and Trevor Dunn alongside new members Scott Ian of Anthrax fame on guitar and Dave Lombardo (Slayer, The Misfits, and the list goes on) on drums. Filled to the hilt with pulsing thrash metal, the album, The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo, takes that youthful exuberance of making fast, heart-pounding music from that old tape and adds the weight of years of experience. The result is a heavy record that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Live Review: Oh He Dead @ 9:30 Club — 9/2/23
Right in the middle of a long Labor Day weekend, 9:30 Club hosted local DC favorites Oh He Dead. And what a homecoming party it was. In a move that matches the fun, retro vibe of the music, five of the six band members entered the stage wearing white jump suits, led by guitarist Andy Valenti.
It was very reminiscent of Devo, but looser.
Live Review: Jonathan Sloane Trio @ Hank Dietle’s Tavern — 8/31/23
Jonathan Sloane Trio
Words by Dan Rozman
Pictures by Mark Raker
The Jonathan Sloane Trio took the stage at Hank Dietle’s Tavern in Rockville, Maryland on Thursday, August 31. The cozy venue filled up with eager fans of Sloane’s blues-inspired rock and funk sounds. Jonathan Sloane, the group’s leader and guitarist, formed after establishing himself in the DC music scene.
Originally from Rockville, Sloane is a multi-talented musician, instructor, and lyricist rooted in the blues but expanding across genres like R&B, funk, and soul. On bass was Robbie Cooper, Sloane’s longtime collaborator, adding rhythmic depth and smooth grooves. Rounding out the trio was drummer Deren Blessman, blending seamlessly with his nuanced, powerful playing.
