Indie rock band The Stews recently released their new single, “So Much More to You,” which is slated to appear on their new album, Chicken Fight, to be released July 12.
The very next day, The Stews perform at 9:30 Club on Saturday, July 13! You can win tickets to see them with Parklife DC.
Quasi, the duo of keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Sam Coomes and drummer Janet Weiss, has persisted for more than 30 years, making intelligent indie rock. In February 2023, they released their first album in 10 years, Breaking The Balls of History. Despite the break between albums, they haven’t lost anything in terms of chemistry and dynamism, and they delivered another set of great songs.
In their recent show at The Atlantis, Quasi rocked hard and loud, to the delight of fans who were thrilled to see them back together live on stage.
Though there are so many American bands and songwriters whose work merits adaptation to the large ensemble, few preside over an inventory as vast and daring as the catalogue maintained by Phish.
And with more than 300 original songs and counting — many of them elaborate, with sections of varying speed — it’s likely that even the most discriminatory classically trained musician can be tantalized by some of the compositions this group has invented since it formed in Vermont more than 40 years ago.
Trey Anastasio, the quartet’s prolific lead guitarist and vocalist, is credited with writing about half the band’s songs, but he’s compiled his own collection of tunes as well, and through his ongoing endeavors both with Phish and as a solo artist, he continues to raise his profile as one of today’s most talented and visionary guitarists and songwriters.
Keyshia Cole, the Princess of Hip-Hop Soul, recently ended her Love Hard Tour in Fairfax, Virginia, at the EagleBank Arena, delivering an unforgettable night of music and talent.
Although Future Islands may live in separate towns now — Sam Herring lives in New Orleans, Will Cashion (bass) in Los Angeles, while Gerrit Welmers (keyboards) and Mike Lowry (drums) reside in Baltimore — Baltimore is home for this band, as Sam recently reminded an enthusiastic crowd at The Anthem. As someone who lives in Charm City, I’ve had the great fortune to see Future Islands several times over the years — from a warehouse, a church, and small clubs to now headlining the 6,000-capacity Anthem.
And for some bands, that transition can change the dynamic, but not for Future Islands.
The Church, the Australian psychedelic rock outfit famed for its dabbling in ’80s new wave, is doing some extraordinary work in recent years.
Fronted by the singular Steve Kilbey, who has tweaked the lineup yet again in recent years, The Church produced a pretty fantastic concept album, The Hypnogogue, in 2023, and the band toured it globally with mesmerizing shows. This spring, they dropped a continuation of the concept, Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars, and so they recently dropped by the Lincoln Theatre in DC on a tour in support of it.
Jhene Aiko’s Magic Hour Tour was simply that — “Magic.” It was a place where you could get lost in your emotions while finding healing at the same time in her recent performance at Capital One Arena.
Scottish dreampoppers Camera Obscura began a recent visit to 9:30 Club with a wonderfully chill new song, “Liberty Print.” The winsome song actually evoked some degree of regret over an apparent failed relationship, but it was sang so pleasantly by frontwoman Tracyanne Campbell.
You couldn’t help but smile and sway along to the melody.
On the hottest day of the year (so far), dedicated music fans recently headed to Wolf Trap to celebrate Pride at the Out & About Festival. The music started at 3pm with Be Steadwell at the Meadow Stage, followed by NOVA guitar virtuoso Yasmin Williams and the Cuban-Canadian duo Okan. Things moved to the Woods Stage for a set by Tiny Desk Contest winner Quinn Christopher, then returned to the Meadow Stage for a high-energy set by the band Lawrence.
Where to even begin. Let’s start with the heat. It was an unbearable weekend in Baltimore with heat indexes over 100 degrees. But even so, fans poured into the port on each day with refillable water bottles, fans, and everything else under the blazing sun to stay cool, ready for a weekend of amazing music just a few days ago. Highlighting local bands and large scale acts, Reggae Rise Up had a stacked line up of a good 70% of my favorite bands.