Luna (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
In 1995, indie rockers Luna released Penthouse, the band’s third studio album, and immediately upended the soundtrack to the ’90s. To celebrate the seminal album, Luna is playing it in its entirety on tour, including a show at 9:30 Club on Saturday, Oct. 5.
Bob Mould rocks the City Winery on Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo by David LaMason)
My introduction to Bob Mould came years ago after picking up a cut-out cassette of Hüsker Dü’s final LP, Warehouse: Songs and Stories. One of the first records I owned myself, I felt I had something special no one knew about. “There’s this record by this band and this guy’s voice is so cool!”
That guy’s voice, by the way, was Bob Mould. I hadn’t heard anyone sing like that before. Of course, I had been listening to mostly U2 and hair metal bands at that point, but that record was clearly different — and in a good way. It was melodic but loud, punk but with hooks.
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi (Photo by Karen Cox)
Banjo player, fiddler, and singer Rhiannon Giddens, accompanied by Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, entertained, educated, and amazed a spell-bound crowd in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater recently.
Robert Cray performs at The Birchmere on Sept. 26, 2019. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath)
Blues guitarist Robert Cray dropped by The Birchmere recently for an engrossing show, and Ben Eisendrath got some photos.
Cat Power (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
Cat Power turned back the clock to start her set at the Lincoln Theatre recently. Twenty-one years ago, she released her album Moon Pix. Two of its mains themes are loneliness and disillusionment. The song “He Turns Down” references Chan Marshall’s feelings of alienation from religion, particularly in the line “I’m not saved he turned me down.”
The Rocket Summer (Photo by Braverijah Gregg)
Bryce Avary, aka The Rocket Summer, released his first EP nearly two decades ago at the age of 17. Earlier this year, Bryce released his latest album Sweet Shivers, and he showed fans that he’s still going strong with no signs of stopping soon. The multi-instrumentalist Texas native stopped by DC’s waterfront at Union Stage recently in support of the latest album.
Jill Sobule headlines HERAFest at City Winery on Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
“Well-behaved women seldom make history.” — Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
So, let’s talk about women in music. A recent Washington Post article asked, “What’s it like to be a woman in rock today?” Of course the answer is, that’s the wrong question. Does anyone ever ask, “What’s it like to be a man in rock music?”
Darrin Bradbury (Photo by Danielle Holbert)
Darrin Bradbury writes about the way things really are in America — a singular perspective shaped by a natural gift for storytelling, a lingering battle with depression, and a sly sense of humor. A self-described folk satirist who has toured the country for more than a decade, Darrin collects his oddball observations in his newest album, Talking Dogs & Atom Bombs, which released Sept. 20th via ANTI- Records.
Parklife DC’s Ari Strauss spoke with Darrin by phone to talk about the new album and his upcoming show at The Birchmere on Tuesday, Oct. 1.
Lucinda Williams (Photo by David McClister)
As Lucinda Williams began to strum the opening rhythm chords to “Right in Time” on her acoustic guitar recently, she realized that she wasn’t wearing her headset at the Strathmore Music Center. She stopped to gear up and, in her Louisiana drawl, said to the audience, “Well, I guess the ice is broken now.”
Ride performs at 9:30 Club on Sept. 22, 2019. (All photos by Nalinee Darmrong, courtesy of RIDE and the 9:30 Club; Words by Mickey McCarter)
Like a reassuring embrace, guitarslingers Ride strode onto stage at 9:30 Club recently, largely to play songs from a thoughtful new album but also to remind us that smart psychedelic vibes are here to stay.
