Let’s call it like it is: if you didn’t make it to DC9 the night of Feb. 25, you missed one of the wildest parties in town.
It was the first-time in the nation’s capital for RIO KOSTA, a Los Angeles-based project led by multi-instrumentalists and songwriters Mike Del Rio and Kosta Galanopoulos.
While North Carolina-based Yarn has appeared on Grammy ballots four times, they most excel as a live band, playing an all American-blend of rock ‘n’ roll, country and bluegrass. In a recent double bill appearance with Annapolis’s Pressing Strings at The Hamilton Live, they lived up to their reputation for compelling, electric live performances.
Stephen Kellogg’s recent performance at The Hamilton Live, was, he informed the audience, his 2,998th concert, hence, the title of his tour: The Road to 3,000. For more than three decades, Kellogg has been making hard-rocking, meaningful music both as a solo artist and in a number of groups. His set was an evening full of passion, great songs, and even a dose of heartfelt humor.
The iconic band Journey is bringing their massive Final Frontier Tour to DC’s Capital One Arena on Wednesday, March 4. After more than half a century of defining American rock, the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers are preparing for the curtain call, offering fans one last chance to experience the rich, generation-spanning discography.
Vivacious popstar Maggie Lindemann is currently touring the USA, and she recently stopped by for a highly energized show at DC’s 9:30 Club. Lindemann is supporting her second album, I Feel Everything, which was released last fall.
Zebra kicked off their recent show at Rams Head On Stage in outstanding form, showing why many consider the music from the classic era of rock and roll in the ’60s and ’70s as the best we have seen so far. The vocals, music, and musicianship were stunning throughout the set.
If you were not around during the ’70s and wish you could have experienced a great 1970s classic rock band, then Zebra is your opportunity to do just that.
Nuovo Testamento and Dark Chisme: A Fresh Night of Dark Dance Music at DC9
Photos by Ben Eisendrath
Words by Mickey McCarter
A diverse group of people dressed for a night of dark pop music recently packed a sold-out show at DC9, headlined by Nuovo Testamento. Dark-wave duo Dark Chisme proved to be scene-stealers in an opening set, and a good time was had by all!
After playing one of the instrumentals from their album, Celestun, released last year, Tyler Ramsey and Carl Broemel told the audience at Jammin’ Java, “If you were spacing out during that one, you were supposed to.” (A small joke: when you’re on oxycodone, you’re spacing out during all of them.) Tuesday’s night performance, which also featured an opening set by the golden-voiced indie folk singer-songwriter Maggie Halfman, was a night of lovely, relaxing music and peaceful vibes, a welcome oasis in these troubled, tense times.
Tuesday night in the nation’s capital was either a political watch party with the State of the Union or a night spent with a viral, indie-folk, alternative rock star, Peter McPoland.
Halfway through his Big Lucky Tour, McPoland stopped in DC to show off his highly experimental album at 9:30 Club. There is a rich story behind the development of this album that McPoland crafted during a self-imposed exile. McPoland isolated himself from social media and streaming services, armed with a flip phone, iPod loaded with The Beatles, and a reel-to-reel tape machine rescued from his uncle’s basement, McPoland spent four months in this isolation to record the sixteen-track project entirely on his own. McPoland entered a “Digital Silence” and supplemented his highly digital gear with analog/old-school equivalents.
Let us just say, Deadheads and those with a place in their heart for seeing some of the best jam band music that is out right now were not disappointed.
On Monday night at the Pearl Street Warehouse in Washington DC the Skeleton Crewe faced the “Cold rain and snow” to play what would be their 4th of 9 shows in their late winter tour and it lived up to the hype that had surrounded it.
