Louisiana came calling at The Barns at Wolf Trap Saturday, and it was met with the warmest of receptions. New Orleans rockers The Iguanas and guitar virtuoso Sonny Landreth did the traditions that make up the musical gumbo of the Land of Dreams proud in a brilliant show.
In a recent Substack post, music critic Marissa Moss talks about what she calls “Waxacountree,” music made by artists like Waxahatchee (naturally) and Ratboys. Built on influences like alt-country stalwarts like Lucinda Williams and the Drive-By Truckers, but also singer-songwriters like Fiona Apple, rockers like Sheryl Crow, and alternative bands like Pavement, it’s hard to characterize this music. Moss argues it isn’t quite alt-country; it’s really just rock. This echoes Tyler Mahan Coe’s contention that a lot of alt-country is just rock music.
Hotter than ever.
That’d be the consensus sentiment about The Greyboy Allstars in the wake of a five-night tour accomplished last, the band’s first shows of the year and a return to venues not played in years.
It kicked off the night of March 3 at The Atlantis in Washington DC, where a sold-out audience lined up early for the chance to take in this widely respected group of soul and jazz masons.
Editor’s Note: Everything about this blog post is NSFW. Proceed with caution!
“What else is in the Teaches of Peaches?” is famously posed in the song “Fuck The Pain Away” by none other than Peaches herself. The 59-year-old Canadian musician released her signature album The Teaches of Peaches in 2000, and its impact is still alive and thriving. Peaches has been named a queer icon, and is known for her sexually transgressive lyrics and avant-garde stage-presence.
Attending the performance of Robert Glasper and his band alongside Lalah Hathaway at Warner Theatre felt like stepping into a refined, soulful celebration of modern jazz and R&B. The theatre was completely packed, filled with a stylishly dressed audience whose presence matched the elegance of the evening. The crowd leaned older, and the atmosphere carried a mature, intentional energy, calm yet deeply engaged.
Journey, a band that has shaped the American arena rock scene since its formation in San Francisco in 1973, set off on its Final Frontier Tour only a few weeks ago. The tour was promoted as “our heartfelt thank you to the fans who’ve been with us every step of the way,” said Journey founder Neal Schon. On March 4, the tour arrived in DC to a warm welcome at Capital One Arena.
Billed as “A Special Evening with Journey,” the concert featured no opening act, allowing the band to play a full 27-song set over the two-hour show. The visual design of the tour was clearly designed with the stadium-sized scale in mind. The stage featured three LED screens that provided various visual effects during the show. Along with the remote video, it created some truly hypnotic scenes of the band.
A foggy, rainy night at Baltimore Soundstage provided the perfect backdrop for Nothing’s North American tour opener on March 4, supporting their newly released album, A Short History of Decay.
Sometimes it feels like the Universe is speaking to you through music. Sometimes the bar is playing “This Must Be The Place,” and it gives you the courage to tell your best friend that you have feelings for her. Sometimes she tells you she does not feel the same way. And sometimes Blood Orange, undisputed master of sexy sad music, is playing in town the next day.
Using the moniker Blood Orange, the British multi-hyphenate musician Dev Hynes has established himself as the 21st century successor of pop music auteurs like Prince and David Bowie. Blood Orange songs toe the delicate line between tidy nostalgia and daring futurism, repurposing the sounds of Disco, Funk, and 80s New Wave to craft catchy grooves filled with melancholic yearning. Hynes has left his distinctive stylistic imprint on genres ranging from electropop to ambient synth, indie rock, stoner rap, and hardcore punk. His lengthy list of collaborators includes Florence and the Machine, Solange, A$AP Rocky, and Britney Spears.
Whoops of Joy with Jesse Welles
Photos by Steve Satzberg
Words by Diana Guillermo
Only Jesse Welles could start a concert off with old-timey acoustic country music, lead the audience through a crashingly emotive rendition of metal anthems, end the night by singing to kids about turtles, and do it all so seamlessly that it seemed like a natural progression.
Up ’til now I’ve only been familiar with the music he’s published recently on streaming platforms – a folksy throwback style that uses old gospel-type music to highlight current events – so I was pleased but puzzled to learn that the concert had completely sold out at 9:30 Club.
After nearly six years, Rich Brian returned to the DMV for his 2025-26 WHERE IS MY HEAD? Tour and a show at The Fillmore Silver Spring.
