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Live Review: The Band Feel @ Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center — 12/5/25

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The Band Feel
The Band Feel performs live at Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center on Dec. 6, 2025. (Photo by Michael Sprouse/ Odd Rocker Photography)

The Band Feel On a Winter Night at HMAC
Words and Photos by Mike Sprouse / Odd Rocker Photography

There’s a particular kind of cold that settles on Herr Street in December. It’s not the dramatic, cinematic stuff, but the kind that sneaks under your jacket and hangs around. Walking into HMAC on Saturday night, The Band Feel took that space and made it feel warmer, like someone cracked open a stove in the corner and fed it a slow-burning stack of kindling. The room buzzed with that familiar low hum, a few too-loud laughs and a quiet anticipation that rolled through the crowd like a slow tide.

Live Review: Enslow w/ The Soularites and Astronaut Class @ DC9 — 12/4/25

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Enslow
Enslow performs live at DC9 on Dec. 4, 2025. (Photo by Roman Meerzaman)

Baltimore came to DC and really brought the heat on our first snow day of the season. There was an uncertainty in the air; could three small artists from Maryland fill the cozy DC9 with a lively crowd? When the first opener, The Soularites, kicked off the show for headliner Enslow, you could tell everyone was still thawing out a bit, with everyone standing as far away from the stage that such an intimate venue can allow for.

The shyness did not last long, thanks to some playful jabs from the lead singer and a very magnetic horn section, the crowd almost all at once decided to loosen up and approach the stage.

Live Review: The Wood Brothers w/ The Wildmans @ 9:30 Club — 12/4/25

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The Wood Brothers
The Wood Brothers perform live at 9:30 Club on Dec. 4, 2025. (Photo by Ari Strauss)

If there’s one way to describe The Wood Brothers, it’s as a quintessentially American band. They draw on the rustic traditions of folk, which brothers Chris and Oliver were introduced to by their father around campfires when they were growing up, the lyricism of singer-songwriters, the aching mournfulness of country-blues, and the muscle of roots rockers, with a touch of jazzy improvisation that makes them adjacent to the jam bands so popular in their native Colorado — though they are not, themselves, a jam band.

In their recent appearance at the 9:30 Club, the trio delighted the audience with the warmth of the songs delivered with a touch of instrumental virtuosity.

In Memoriam: On Steve Cropper and Great Guitarists

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Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper performs live at SXSW 2007. (License: CC BY-SA 2.0 (Photo by Charlie Llewellin)

Legendary guitarist Steve Cropper passed away at the of 84 on Dec. 3. As a member of the Stax Records house band, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, he played on records by Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, both Rufus and Carla Thomas, and even Neil Young, producing many of them. He was most familiar to many people as a member of the Blues Brothers, appearing as himself in the movie starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd. He’s less well known for his role as a songwriter, having written “Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay” with Otis Redding and “Soul Man” with Sam & Dave.

Poll: Who Is the Best Local Band in DC for 2025?

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Wood Thrush

Welcome to the 2025 Thrushie Awards! Parklife DC will name the best local band of the year with your input. Parklife DC will honor DC bands and venues with our annual Thrushie Awards program, named for our mascot, DC’s own state bird — the Wood Thrush.

A best local DC band must perform in the continuum of indie rock clubs that we cover around the metro area, and they must have released new music in the past year.

As always, our Thrushie Awards are inspired by our mission to review live music concerts and spotlight bands and concert halls covered by Parklife DC. Voting for Thrushies runs through Friday, Dec. 12, at midnight, and you get to vote for your favorite DC band.

Write-in candidates are welcome. See below for a brief bio on each band.

Live Review: Ken Yates @ Fox Cabaret (Vancouver, BC, Canada) — 12/3/25

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KYates, Vancouver, 12-3-25
Ken Yates perform live in Vancouver on Dec. 3, 2025. (Photo by Marc Caicedo)

Engaging, amiable, and hilarious during his between song banter, Ken Yates becomes a focused, solitary figure when he sings. Performing his new album to a very happy crowd recently at Vancouver BC’s Fox Cabaret, we saw and heard that dichotomy repeatedly during an intimate and emotional performance.

I have a knack for discovering “new” artists years, even decades, after the fact. For instance, I stumbled upon Canadian power pop band, Treble Charger, a couple years back when I heard “Red” only to learn the band has been active on and off since 1992.

Awkward.

Preview: Ingrid Michaelson w/ Hannah Winkler @ Lincoln Theatre — 12/6/25

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Ingrid Michaelson
Ingrid Michaelson (Photo courtesy the artist)

Grammy and Emmy Nominated singer-songwriter/composer Ingrid Michaelson is a force in the music industry, known for her distinctively soulful folk-pop style. She performs live at the Lincoln Theatre in DC on Saturday, Dec. 6, with the Ingrid Michaelson Trio!

Preview: Flaming Lips w/ Bartees Strange @ The Anthem — 12/31/25

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The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips (Photo courtesy Warner Brothers Records)

The Flaming Lips celebrate the death of 2025 with opener Bartees Strange on New Years Eve at The Anthem on Wednesday, Dec. 31.

Poll: What Is the Best Music Festival in the DC Area for 2025?

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Wood Thrush

Vote in our annual readers poll!

Parklife DC will name the best local music festival of the year with your input. The Thrushie Awards are open to DC-area music festivals. These festivals are in the National Capital Region, and often they occur annually.

As always, our Thrushie Awards are inspired by our mission to review live music concerts and spotlight bands and concert halls covered by Parklife DC.

Voting for Thrushies runs through Friday, Dec. 12, at midnight, and you get to vote for your favorite DC venue. Write-in candidates are welcome.

Snapshots: Natalie Merchant @ Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts — 11/23/25

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Natalie Merchant
Natalie Merchant performs live at Maryland Hall on Nov. 23, 2025. (Photo by James Todd Miller)

Natalie Merchant brought her Autumn Acoustic Tour to Maryland Hall in Annapolis on Nov. 23, delivering an intimate, literary-leaning set that drew heavily from Motherland, Leave Your Sleep, and Keep Your Courage — her solo albums from 2001, 2010, and 2023, respectively.

James Todd Miller was there to photograph the show for this Snapshots photo feature.