Live Review: The Fleshtones w/ The Yachtsmen @ 9:30 Club — 8/14/25
The Fleshtones brought the heat during their fast-paced, grinding, and explosive set in their recent show at DC’s infamous 9:30 Club.
Live Review: Spike and the Gimme Gimmes @ 9:30 Club — 8/13/25
“We’re a cover band”
As I made my way to the 9:30 Club’s will call window on this lovely August evening, I figured I’d be hearing that line a lot tonight. After all, it is one of the many schticks that Spike Slawson, ringleader and lead vocalist of Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Spike and the Gimme Gimmes, has consistently employed in the band’s 30 years (yes, you’re reading that right…30 years) of existence.
Snapshots: Newport Folk Festival @ Fort Adams State Park, RI — 7/25-7/27/25
There is no other live music event in America that can really compare to the Newport Folk Festival. Executed each year with precision, providing an inviting experience for both performers and fans alike, it’s become a bucket-list weekend for most serious concert goers.
For three consecutive days every year in late July, artist after artist takes one of four stages at storied Fort Adams State Park, expressing gratitude and pure delight for the opportunity to play one of the most influential gatherings in all the land.
The 2025 edition of Newport Folk, held from July 25 to 27, was one for the ages and, as always, the musical varieties were boundless.
Live Review: AJR @ Merriweather Post Pavilion — 8/10/25
AJR’s Summer in the Sky Tour recently rolled through Merriweather Post Pavilion, bringing vivacity, theatrics, and earworms aplenty to share with everyone who gathered on the lawn and under the pavilion. While the ambiance of Columbia, Maryland’s largest venue is impossible to deny, AJR showed up to bring the mood even higher. And they meant it — the audience erupted as the set opened up with “Way Less Sad.”
As expected, an AJR show is more than just a concert, it’s an immersive experience allowing anyone and everyone to sing, sway, jump, and emote in whatever way the music guides them. By the third song of the set, “Yes I’m A Mess,” even lead singer Jack Met couldn’t resist interacting with the band’s own screen projections.
Live Review: Clipse @ EagleBank Arena — 8/9/25
The rap duo Clipse recenlty returned from a 15-year hiatus and released the most critically acclaimed album of their career with Let God Sort Em Out. The album was released last month, and the guys tore down a jam-packed EagleBank Arena in their home state of Virginia this past weekend as a part of their tour of the same name in support of the album.
As a Virginia boy who remembers copying the “Grindin’” beat on lunch tables in middle school and followed the brothers even after their separation, it was a show that I had to see.
Snapshots: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band w/ Asleep at the Wheel @ Wolf Trap — 8/7/25
Lyle Lovett and His Large Band recently performed once again at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap along with openers Asleep at the Wheel!
Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show.
Preview: The Struts w/ Dirty Honey @ The Anthem — 8/17/25
The Struts return to The Anthem to celebrate 10 years of their debut album, Everybody Wants, on Sunday, August 17!
The Anthem is always a magical place to see The Struts as they were one of the first bands to play the monumental venue, opening Foo Fighters on The Anthem’s opening night!
Live Review: Bonnie Prince Billy w/ Tashi Dorji @ The Miracle Theatre — 8/6/25
James Miller, who shot the accompanying photographs for this review, remarked upon arriving at The Miracle Theatre, “This guy has a lot of records.”
Even considering his making music for more than 30 years, Bonnie Prince Billy — the moniker used by Louisville, Kentucky’s Will Oldham for most of his releases — is prolific, sometimes releasing multiple records in the same year. In addition to his solo releases, he’s made albums with Matt Sweeney, Bill Callahan, Trembling Bells, Picket Line, Cairo Gang, Dawn McCarthy, Bitchin Bajas, the National’s Bryce Dressner, Three Queens in Morning, and Nathan Salsburg. Whether working solo or with others, the spare, ethereal qualities of his melodies and voice, and the haunting nature of his lyrics, always comes through, and it’s made him one of the most respected indie artists of the last three decades.
In his recent turn at The Miracle Theatre in DC, Bonnie Prince Billy treated the audience to a gorgeous journey through the gothic Americana he’s so well known for.
Live Review: Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets @ The Birchmere — 8/5 + Rams Head on Stage — 8/6/25
In “Went to a Party,” Nick Lowe sings about being mistaken for his fellow British singer-songwriter and oddball Robyn Hitchcock. (As a fellow eccentric, I use this term with the utmost kindness and respect.) It’s the kind of askew, left-field humor that shows up throughout much of his work. In his recent appearance at The Birchmere, backed by the lucha libre mask-wearing instrumental rock outfit Los Straitjackets, Lowe treated the audience to perfectly constructed pop songs channeled through his unique perspective.
Snapshots: Sammy Rae & The Friends @ Wolf Trap — 8/5/25
Sammy Rae & The Friends recently performed live at the Filene Center at Wolf Trap, opening Jacob Collier!
Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show.
