The Struts perform at Lincoln Theatre on Sept. 7, 2021. (Photos by Rashad Polk)
The Struts rolled through D.C. recently, taking over the historic Lincoln Theatre to deliver a genuine rock and roll show.
Jim James of My Morning Jacket performs at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sept. 7, 2021. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson)
One of my favorite summer traditions in DC is the seemingly annual My Morning Jacket show at Merriweather. Tuesday’s show with opener Brittany Howard was the band’s 8th show in Columbia since they graduated to amphitheaters in 2010. I’m not going to lie and say that I’ve been to all of those shows, but I’ve seen most of them and the 2011 and 2015 shows still stand out to me. The Circuitual tour show in 2011 might be the best show I’ve seen the band do locally.
Merriweather was a little over half full on Sept. 7, which was actually a wonderful thing. If you wanted to experience the show in a crowd, there were plenty of people around to remind you how that felt, pre-COVID. If you were still a little freaked out by maskless people singing and shouting along to the music, there were plenty of empty spaces to claim and still have a great vantage point for the show.
The Ocean Blue perform at Union Stage on Sept. 5, 2021. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
In a very well-received show at Union Stage recently, The Ocean Blue, the dreampop quartet originating from Hershey, Pennsylvania, favored their sophomore album Cerulean, choosing to showcase five of its songs.
In introducing one of those songs — “When Life Was Easy” — frontman David Schelzel reflected on how some songs take on a new meaning for the writers as they get older.
Art by Ric Ocasek (Image courtesy of Wentworth Gallery)
Starting on Sept. 1, Wentworth Gallery, with locations in both Westfield Montgomery Mall in Maryland and Tysons Galleria in Virginia, began a new exhibition of the artwork of musician Ric Ocasek.
Famous as the frontman of influential new wave band The Cars, Ocasek took a turn as a painter later in his life. He appeared in person at the first displays of his artwork at the Wentworth Galleries in 2018. Sadly, Ric passed away soon after at his home in New York City in 2019.
Wentworth Gallery has brought Ric’s art back on display, and the galleries currently have much of his remaining collection for sale. Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter chatted with Christian O’Mahony about Ric’s art and the exhibition.
Lake Street Dive (Photo by Shervin Lainez)
In support of Lake Street Dive’s acclaimed album Obviously, the band is set to perform at Wolf Trap on Thursday, Sept. 9!
Casie Blanton (Photo by Jason Albus)
Carsie Blanton’s show at The Hamilton Live on was 18 months in the making. On Friday evening, she finally made it to the venue, and had a whole new album of songs, Love & Rage, to share with the audience. The title of the album, she told the audience, is a statement of purpose, a summation of the two themes that run through her work.
Two of the most unique singer-songwriters working today graced the stage of The Birchmere recently — Todd Snider and Aaron Lee Tasjan. Both, in some sense, are part of the alt-country/Americana scene, though putting them into this genre box is far too reductive.
While both draw on classic songwriting traditions, they put a modern — perhaps even a postmodern — twist on them. They share a delightfully warped, witty sense of humor, perhaps connected to their fondness for psychedelics.
Shakey Graves performs at the Hot August Music Festival at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, Md., on August 28, 2021. (Photo by Casey Vock)
If ever there was an appetite for an outdoor music festival in the region, the time is surely now, and you could feel that in the thick, muggy air all day and night this past Saturday at the Hot August Music Festival held at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, Maryland.
Featuring a head-turning lineup of musicians performing throughout the day and into the evening, the event drew several thousand people who filled the Baltimore County-operated park and many of whom took a seat or popped up a shade shelter on the main hill that was once used for skiing.
The Ocean Blue (Photo by Darin Back)
The Ocean Blue, the much admired dream pop act from Hershey, Pennsylvania, was always one of those American bands that sounded more like an English act. The band continued that streak with their newest album, Kings and Queens / Knaves and Thieves, released in 2019.
The band resumes touring their fan-favorite early material alongside their consistently terrific new songs in a show at Union Stage on Sunday, Sept. 5.
Brandi Carlile performs at Wolf Trap on Aug. 28, 2021. (Photo by Marc Shea)
Wolf Trap is back to full capacity shows — and when Brandi Carlile played there Saturday night, the venue was absolutely packed. The show started with a dynamite opening solo set by Amythyst Kiah, a singer-songwriter from Johnson City, Tennessee, whose style is based in the blues and folk music.
