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Ticket Giveaway: Titus Andronicus @ Black Cat, 4/4/23

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Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus (Photo by Nicole Rifkin)

With their seventh studio album, revered rock institution Titus Andronicus invite you on a journey from fear to faith, from anger to acceptance, from grief to gratitude, chasing the mythical ideal of Ultimate Rock, all in hopes that you will find The Will to Live.

The band also invite you to see them perform live at Black Cat on Tuesday, April 4. And you can win a pair of tickets to go with Parklife DC!

Preview: The Church @ The Birchmere, 4/4/23

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The Church

The Church (Photo by Hugh Stewart)

The Church, the Australian psych-rock masters fronted by vocalist Steve Kilbey, recently released THE HYPNOGOGUE, the band’s 26th album, via Communicating Vessels.

Now, The Church return to The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, for a show on Tuesday, April 4!

Preview: EXTC (XTC’s Terry Chambers and Friends) @ Pearl Street Warehouse, 4/3/23

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EXTC

EXTC (Photo courtesy the band)

For almost four decades, XTC fans could only dream of witnessing the sensational XTC classic songbook played live. That dream has now become a reality. XTC’s legendary drummer, Terry Chambers, is back on the road with his band EXTC (named and approved by XTC frontman, Andy Partridge).

EXTC perform live at Pearl Street Warehouse on Monday, April 3.

Live Review: The Messthetics (and Quasi w/ James Brandon Lewis and Bat Fangs) @ Black Cat — 3/18/23

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Messthetics

The Messthetics thoroughly rock the Black Cat on March 18, 2023. (Photo by David LaMason)

Some days you just luck out, and Saturday night at The Black Cat can be counted as an embarrassment of riches with an eclectic mix of some of the best musicians not only under one roof but in one show!

DC’s own The Messthetics co-headlined the evening with Quasi, old friends, as drummer Brendan Canty told the crowd, from Portland, Oregon, in an evening that, as I overheard one person in the crowd say, “All killer and no filler.”

The Messthetics — for the uninitiated — include Canty, Joe Lally on bass, and Anthony Pirog on guitar. The instrumental trio are a powerhouse of rock, groove, and jazz. It’s loud but subtle. Take, for instance, the tune “Pay Dust” — it kicks in right from the start with Lally and Canty having this groove and Pirog’s lyrical melody lines before there’s this distorted freak out just to come back to that motif. A perfect example of those elements — the jazz, the punk — in one composition.

Live Review: alt-J @ Rams Head Live! — 3/15/23

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alt-J dazzle a sold-out Rams Head Live! in Baltimore on March 15, 2023. (Photo by David LaMason)

The Leeds-based trio alt-J (also known by the Δ) has been celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut LP, An Awesome Wave with a host of packed concerts that have sold out across the globe, and their recent night at Baltimore’s Rams Head Live! was no exception. In fact, as I walked up to the venue over an hour before doors, there was a huge line that had already formed to see this band who, until this past year, had been on an indefinite hiatus that began in 2018.

Live Review: Aoife O’Donovan w/ Hawktail @ The Birchmere — 3/15/23

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Aoife O'Donovan

Aoife O’Donovan (Photo by Omar Cruz)

As an artist, Aoife O’Donovan told the audience during her most recent show at The Birchmere, she is “always chasing the concept of the album as a complete story,” where all the stories told by the individual songs come together in a cohesive narrative. Bruce Springsteen’s dark, brooding classic record Nebraska, she said, is a “perfect example.”

The Birchmere was Aoife’s first stop on her current USA tour, playing Nebraska in its entirety. It was also her first time doing this on American soil since performing it in New York in 2011. During the pandemic, she livestreamed a performance of the album for her fans, and she now has released it as a limited edition LP.

Live Review: Inhaler @ 9:30 Club — 3/13/23

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Inhaler

Inhaler performs at 9:30 Club on March 13, 2023. (Photo by Lewis Evan)

Bono of U2 may be the biggest male rock star in the world. So if any of his children were to follow him into the rock star business, it would be understandable to ask if their success might stem from actual talent or from dad’s showbiz connections.

Well, Elijah Hewson, son of Bono, demonstrated he does indeed have the goods in two recent sold-out shows at 9:30 Club. Also like his dad, Elijah made the magic happen as a team with three talented friends, in his case as frontman of the band Inhaler, on tour from their home in Dublin, Ireland.

Live Review: Baltimore Old Time Music Festival @ Creative Alliance — 3/10-3/11/23

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Mega Band Jam at Baltimore Old Time Music Festival at Creative Alliance March 10-11, 2023 Photo by Casey Ryan Vock

Musicians join together for the Friday night “Mega-Band” jam at the fourth annual Baltimore Old Time Music Festival held at Creative Alliance on March 10 and 11, 2023. (Photo by Casey Vock)

Ken Kolodner and his son, Brad, want to do more than just celebrate and honor old-time music — they envision perpetuating and expanding the genre beyond any narrow preconceptions that might hinder its advancement. They see it thriving now and into the future as more modern artists continue to embrace the old-time sound or some version of it, reinterpreting and creating new songs to be added to the catalogue and handed down to the next generation.

In hosting the fourth edition of the Baltimore Old Time Music Festival at Creative Alliance this past weekend, the father-son duo successfully furthered its mission by welcoming an impressive list of outstanding musicians to the Charm City for not only memorable performances, but a busy slate of instructional workshops led by the artists themselves.

Preview: Shawn Mullins and Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams @ The Miracle Theatre, 3/31/23

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Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams

Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams (Photo by Ruben Garcia Carballo)

Shawn Mullins is coming to perform at The Miracle Theatre in DC on Friday, March 31, and he’s bringing along with him Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams!

You may well know Shawn from his signature ’90s hit “Lullaby” and he’s sure to be great with folk rockers Larry and Teresa.

Ticket Giveaway: Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul @ Black Cat, 3/30/23

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Charlotte and Bolis

Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul (Photo by Camille Vivier)

Belgian-Caribbean provocateur Charlotte Adigéry and her long-term musical partner Bolis Pupul are one of this year’s most exciting breakthrough acts. Their critically acclaimed and deliciously mischievous debut album, Topical Dancer, was released in 2022 and named to numerous “Best Album of the Year” lists.

The duo perform at Black Cat in DC on Thursday, March 30. And you can win tickets to see them with Parklife DC!