Tank and the Bangas (Photo by Gus Bennett Jr.)
Last year, Tank and the Bangas made their major label studio debut with Green Balloon. The band quickly blew up, scoring a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. The R&B group is now on tour opening for The Revivalists, and you should arrive early to see them when they perform at The Anthem on Saturday, Feb. 29.
Nora Jane Struthers performs at Jammin’ Java on Feb. 21, 2020. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
A fair number of people who came out to Jammin’ Java on Friday night were already familiar with Nora Jane Struthers. She introduced herself as “hailing from the great country and bluegrass state of…” and the audience chimed in “New Jersey.”
Cam’ron (Killa Cam) celebrates the release of his album Purple Haze 2 at the Howard Theater on Feb. 20, 2020. (Photo by Shedrick Pelt)
Every community has its ghost, myths, and legends. Moments and people on the timeline, whether good or bad, that define the way of life for the folks that live there. More often than not the historians that safeguard these precious stories, re-envision them using soliloquies and rhyming quips to narrate the epic events.
England has William Shakespeare — and Harlem, New York, has Cameron Giles, aka Killa Cam.
Drew Holcomb (Photo by Ashtin Paige)
Drew and Ellie Holcomb’s recent show at The Birchmere began with a pleasant surprise. The show had been billed as “An Evening with Drew and Ellie Holcomb,” leading me to expect a duo performance. When they took the stage, they were accompanied by Drew’s band, The Neighbors.
Time Is Fire (Photo by Farrah Skeiky)
DC psych rockers Time Is Fire plans to release the band’s debut LP, In Pieces, this Friday. On the day prior to that, the quintet performs in an album release show at DC9 on Thursday, Feb. 27.
Sloan rocks the Union Stage on Feb. 22, 2020. (Photo by David LaMason)
Okay. So, I admit that I’m a fan, so saying that Sloan is one of the best bands around and that next to the term “power pop” in any reputable encyclopedia are the names Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland, Jay Ferguson, and Andrew Scott is a little biased on my part. Four songwriters and musicians who have been writing and performing for nearly 30 years and right on the heals of releasing their twelfth LP, aptly titled 12, the band is in the midst of celebrating the 20th anniversary of their fourth record, “Navy Blues,” with an extensive tour.
And Saturday night at the Union Stage the quartet rocked the roof off to an awestruck audience.
Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles perform at Jammin’ Java on Feb. 21, 2020. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
“Without further ado,” Sarah Borges declared in her clipped Massachusetts accent, “we’re gonna play the rock’n’roll.” With that, Sarah and her band, the Broken Singles, exploded into a fast-paced, crunchy, punk-inspired number at Jammin’ Java on Friday.
Dennis Lyxzén fronts Refused at 9:30 Club on Feb. 21, 2020. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Until Friday, I never saw Refused, the Swedish hardcore punks. And I might never still have if a fellow blogger hadn’t missed the show due to a conflict.
I picked up the show at 9:30 Club on Feb. 21, and I was struck by the nuances of a band that I confess is a bit outside my wheelhouse. But what made the show for me was the dancing of frontman Dennis Lyxzén.
Derek Trucks (left) and Susan Tedeschi perform with their 12-piece supergroup, Tedeschi Trucks Band, at Warner Theatre, Feb. 21, 2020. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
February in DC, for the past five years, means the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the 12-piece blues-rock supergroup lead by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks, holds an annual residency at historic Warner Theatre. This year’s residency included four sold out shows over two consecutive weekends, Feb. 14 and 15, and Feb. 21 and 22.
Bat for Lashes performs at Sixth & I on Feb. 18, 2020. (Photo by Nalinee Darmrong)
When Natasha Khan moved to Los Angeles not long ago, she quickly made arrangements to travel north to Santa Cruz to see The Trestle Bridge made famous by The Lost Boys movie, a favorite film. She then began reflecting on an artistic endeavor around a group of Lost Girls, and thus was born the concept for the latest album by Bat for Lashes.
Natasha reflected on the inspiration in concert at Sixth & I recently, where she presented half a dozen songs from the album along with several from her previous four records and covers of several artists who “made her the woman she is today.”
