Dry Cleaning (Photo by Max Miechowski)
Dry Cleaning is one of the most-buzzed about UK bands in recent memory. Their latest album, Stumpwork, was released via 4AD to critical acclaim.
The band are returning to the United States for a tour in 2023, and they are performing at the Howard Theatre in DC on Tuesday, Jan. 31!
Chuck Prophet performs at Union Stage on Jan. 7, 2023. (Photo by Casey Vock)
Chuck Prophet seemed excited to be playing live again after a few years off the road. At Union Stage recently, he attacked his set with verve and displayed his trademark wry humor. Expressing his gratitude to the audience, he said, “There’s probably 17 places you could hear live music just in this mall.” I’d never really thought about it, but I guess The Wharf in Southwest DC is a mall, isn’t it?
In the age of streaming, musicians depend on touring for their livelihood, and they all faced challenges when the pandemic forced them off the road. On top of this, Chuck also had to deal with a diagnosis of cancer. Fortunately, following treatment, he was declared cancer-free, a fact that all of us who’ve followed him over the years are very glad to hear.
The Pietasters perform at 9:30 Club on Dec. 29, 2022. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Let’s first and foremost acknowledge that there was a lot of warmth for the late Terry Hall at the most recent appearance by The Pietasters at 9:30 Club. The English singer-songwriter, famed for his contributions to The Specials and other rock and ska acts, passed away not long before the show date. DJ Selah, who spun tunes between sets, called out a moment of silence for Mr. Hall among other shoutouts, and The Pietasters themselves closed their set with a cover of “Enjoy Yourself” by The Specials in tribute.
Rubblebucket (Photo by Shervin Lainez)
Art pop duo Rubblebucket return with a new album, Earth Worship, released last year. Now, the band is on tour, and they perform at 9:30 Club on Thursday, Jan. 26.
Cass McCombs (Photo by Ebru Yildiz)
Cass McCombs is “one of America’s most reliably excellent singer-songwriters” (The Guardian), and with his 10th album Heartmind, out now on ANTI-, he’s “still functioning at [his] highest level at an age when many of their peers have stagnated” (Wall Street Journal, The Best Music of 2022).
In support of the album, Cass performs at 9:30 Club on Tuesday, Jan. 24.
Dan Deacon leads a New Year’s Eve bash at Ottobar in Baltimore on Dec. 31, 2022. (Photo by Casey Vock)
Any venue looking to host the ideal New Year’s Eve celebration — maybe not the most massive gathering, but a spirited and vivid ordeal — might be wise to lean on an artist who’s been asked to set the scene for so many different projects across the stage, the studio and screens both big and small.
To properly usher in 2023 this past weekend, Ottobar management was savvy to call upon Dan Deacon, a longtime friend of the venue and now, after nearly two decades in the Charm City, one of the leading figures in a scene boasting a list of talented, influential musicians known across the country and far beyond.
Night Moves (Photo by Shawn Brackbill)
Minneapolis-based quartet Night Moves returned in 2022 with a new EP, The Redaction. The band next performs locally at the Metro Gallery in Baltimore on Saturday, Jan. 21.
Umphrey’s McGee (Photo courtesy IVPR)
In the 25 years since eclectic improv-rock band Umphrey’s McGee formed, their sound has been an amalgamation of genres, moods, and tempos, effortlessly flowing from one feeling to the next throughout an album or concert — or sometimes within a singular song.
You can experience it all on Umphrey’s McGee’s 25th anniversary tour, which comes to 9:30 Club for two nights — Thursday, Jan. 12, and Friday, Jan. 13!
David Bowie (Photo by Jimmy King)
David Bowie, the single greatest musical artist to draw a breath in this editor’s estimate, was born on Jan. 8. He passed away seven years ago on Jan. 10. Given the significance of the upcoming week to Bowie’s life, many cities host a Bowie party or two during this period.
In DC, revelers can celebrate David Bowie at Put On Your Red Shoes And Dance: A David Bowie Birthday Celebration and Dance Party, at Pearl Street Warehouse on Friday, Jan. 6.
Chuck Prophet Trio (Photo courtesy Union Stage)
Since his neo-psychedelic Green On Red days, Chuck Prophet has been turning out country, folk, blues, and Brill Building classicism. After a false start recording in his hometown of San Francisco, Prophet decided to get out of Dodge and found himself re-energized in Upstate New York just a few miles from the Vermont border to make 2020’s The Land That Time Forgot, a record that is much a 21st century exorcism as it is America.
