Kero Kero Bonito (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
Kero Kero Bonito, the London-based bilingual art-pop band, recently dropped a surprise EP, titled Civilisation I. The songs are the band’s most ambitious work to date and were written, produced and recorded in the bedroom of KKB’s Gus Lobban. Kero Kero Bonito play 9:30 Club on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and you can win tickets to go with Parklife DC!
Charlie Parr (Photo courtesy Red House Records)
Singer-songwriter Charlie Parr released an eponymous new album, a collection of new songs and new studio versions of classics and audience favorites from throughout his career on Sept. 27 via Red House Records. He’s been touring his personal brand of folk blues, and he makes another stop at Black Cat on Wednesday, Oct. 9, to play his songs.
Sarah Pinsker (Photo by Karen Osborne)
Sarah Pinsker’s Nebula and Sturgeon Award-winning short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s, F&SF, Uncanny, and Strange Horizons, as well as numerous other magazines, anthologies, year’s bests, podcasts, and translation markets. She is also a singer/songwriter who has toured nationally behind three albums on various independent labels. Her first literary collection, Sooner or Later Everything Falls into the Sea, was released in early 2019 by Small Beer Press.
A Song For a New Day is her first novel. Mark Engleson interviewed Sarah about the novel, her writing more broadly, her music, and the music industry. For more info about Sarah and her works, visit her website.
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?”
