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Don’t Miss: Midge Ure @ Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club, 10/4/16

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MIDGE URE
Midge Ure (Photo courtesy Erika Tooker)

In September, Midge Ure returns to the United States after about a year and a half away. The last time this great Scot toured our country, he did so completely solo, equipped with only an acoustic guitar. The resulting Fragile Troubadour Tour was empowering and engrossing.

Well, Midge’s tour this time promises to be electrifying, as he is embarking on a US tour with a full band for the first time since his turn in the Retro Futura Tour in 2014. Joining Midge are drummer BC Taylor and keyboard player Tony Solis, both of whom will also play other instruments for this “Live and Electric” tour.

On this tour, Midge will perform solo material, including songs from his 2014 album Fragile, as well as music from his synthpop bands Ultravox and Visage. Midge played some Ultravox and Visage songs last time as well, but this time he’ll play electric guitar and synthesizer to deliver that New Romantic music in its full glory.

Midge also has been recording new music, such as “Touching Hearts and Skies,” which he contributed to the soundtrack of the movie Eddie the Eagle. Listen to “Touching Hearts and Skies” by Midge Ure on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaMaKVy5_FY]

Locally, Midge will visit the DC metro area to perform at Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club on Tuesday, Oct. 4! He was phenomenal when he was there in 2015. (Read our full review here!) I had the pleasure of chatting with Midge in the past, and I know of no other musician with as much integrity, character, charm, and genuine consideration for others. On top of that, Midge simply makes fantastic music! (Read our Parklife DC interview with Midge Ure from 2015.) Don’t miss your chance to see him when he’s in town.

As an added incentive to go, Richard Lloyd, guitarist extraordinaire and founding member of the seminal band Television, is opening for Midge. Tickets are available online.

Midge Ure
w/ Richard Lloyd
Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club
Tuesday, Oct. 4
Show @8pm
$25
All ages

Ticket Giveaway: Angel Olsen @ 9:30 Club, 9/15/16

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Angel Olsen (Photo by Amanda Marsalis)

On Sept. 2, folk siren Angel Olsen will release her third album, My Woman, via Jagjaguwar. Immediately afterward, Angel will launch a tour with a six-piece band, and that tour will make an early stop at the 9:30 Club on Thursday, Sept. 15.

In songs like “Intern,” the first single from the new album, Angel’s unique voice and personality are on display. Although she’s clearly settled into the folk and alt-country genres, Angel carries herself with an upstart punk attitude that distinguishes her from the pack. The New York Times called “Intern” a “synthpop dirge, shimmering and glacial.”

Angel gets a little warmer but no less defiant on her latest single, “Shut Up Kiss Me.” (Well, today, Angel dropped “Sister,” so maybe not her latest single.) Watch the official video for “Shut Up Kiss Me” by Angel Olsen on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nleRCBhLr3k]

Parklife DC is giving away a pair of tickets so that you see Angel Olsen when she comes to town. To win these tickets, leave a comment on this blog. You can leave any comment, but perhaps tell us your favorite Angel Olsen song?

For the rules of this giveaway–

Comments will be closed at 5pm on Friday and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner. We will email you instructions on claiming your ticket. Good luck!

Tickets also are available online!

Angel Olsen
w/ Alex Cameron
9:30 Club
Thursday, Sept. 15
Doors @7pm
$20
All ages

AngelOlsen_Flyer

Snapshots: Terri Nunn and Berlin @ Def Con 24, Las Vegas — 8/6/16

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Terri Nunn & Berlin @DefCon24
Terri Nunn sings in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Paivi)

DefCon is a hacker conference in Las Vegas that takes place once a year during the first weekend of August. Headliners Terri Nunn and Berlin, along with the Information Society, performed at the conference this year for Def Con 24 on August 6.

Terri sounds as good as ever, and she is obviously having fun on stage. She chatted quite a bit between songs and dedicated “In Flames” to her son serving in the military.

Around Town: DC State Fair @ Storey Park, 8/28/16

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D.C. State Fair

Let’s get cheeky, we have our own ‘State’ Fair in DC!

It comes to Storey Park in NoMa on Sunday, August 28th.

You can find agriculture and artists and food and music and workshops and contests.

This will be the seventh annual DC State Fair, it started in 2010 at the Columbia Heights Day festival and has been held in different parts of the city since.

Check out the schedule of workshops and music/live performances here.

DC State Fair 2016
Storey Park @ NoMa (1005 First Street, NE)
Sunday, August 28, 2016
11am-8pm
Free Admission (pay for food and beverages)
All ages

Snapshots: Information Society @ Def Con 24, Las Vegas — 8/6/16

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Information Society @DefCon24 Information Society perform in Las Vegas on Saturday, August 6, 2016. (Photo by Paivi)

DefCon is a hacker conference in Las Vegas that takes place once a year during the first weekend of August.

This year, Information Society and Berlin played the Saturday night party. Information Society in particular has been busy lately. Its original members Paul Robb, Kurt Harland Larson, and James Cassidy have reunited for tours and new albums, most recently publishing a collection of covers titled Orders of Magnitude in March.

Don’t Miss: The English Beat @ Bottle & Cork, 8/28/16 + @ 9:30 Club, 10/11/16

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Dave Wakeling of the English Beat (Photo by Eugenio Iglesias)

Well, the English Beat recently sold out a show at the 9:30 Club, but I’m going to take a moment any way to remind you of why.

Dave Wakeling, forever Birmingham-born #1 ska singer, is bringing the English Beat around to the 9:30 Club again, this time to open for their friends Squeeze in a dynamite show on Tuesday, Oct. 11. (But wait! They also are playing at nearby Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach, Delaware! Read on for details.)

The English Beat is on the cusp of releasing its first new album in more than 30 years with its upcoming full length Here We Go Love later this year.

The band of course have a string of well-regarded hits that have formed the backbone of a very successful touring act for quite some time now. Dave and company enjoy stirring live renditions of popular tunes like “Save it for Later,” “Mirror in the Bathroom,” and “Twist and Crawl.”

Remind yourself of the fresh energy of the English Beat with a listen of “Whine & Grine/Stand Down Margaret” on “Rude Boy’s Revenge & Coffee Hour” from a few years ago via Soundcloud:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/87188166″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

We at Parklife DC last saw the English Beat at the 9:30 Club on Nov. 25, 2015, and we were mighty impressed!

“The venerable English Beat have been revitalized this year with a new toaster — King Schascha. For a 2-tone band, a toaster isn’t mechanical, but in King’s case, he’s certainly electric,” I wrote. “The reggae rhymer from San Diego effectively got the very full house at the 9:30 Club dancing right away on Wednesday, Nov. 25, paving the way for band leader Dave Wakeling and his time-tested repertoire of ska and reggae. They kicked things off with ‘Rough Rider’ from the debut album by the English Beat, 1980’s I Just Can’t Stop It, and the entire audience was moving and grooving from the very first note.”

If you’re coming to see Squeeze at the 9:30 Club, get there early for the English Beat! There are no tickets available, as the show has sold out. Keep your eyes open for resales (at fair prices) or maybe a last-minute release of any extra tickets the 9:30 Club may be holding back?

Oh, wait, if you cannot wait to see the English Beat, you can catch them at the Bottle & Cork in Dewey Beach, Delaware, on Sunday, August 28. That’s this weekend! What better way to celebrate the waning days of summer than to hit the beach with Dave and company? Tickets for that show are indeed available online (and at the door).

The English Beat
Bottle & Cork
Sunday, August 28
Doors @9pm
$20
21+

The English Beat
Opening for Squeeze
9:30 Club
Tuesday, Oct. 11
Doors @7pm
Sold Out
All ages

Music Park: Julie Ruin @ Black Cat — 8/19/16

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Julie Ruin 10 Kathleen Hanna sings with the Julie Ruin at the Black Cat on Friday, August 19, 2016.

Kathleen Hanna is angry. She seethes about her hatred for an alcoholic father. She rails against unwelcome attention from men. She spits on Internet trolls.

All of this naturally fuels some rather self-assured punk rock, such as with “I Decide,” the first single by her band the Julie Ruin from their new album Hit Reset, released on July 8 via Hardly Art.

Don’t Miss: Muuy Biien @ DC9, 8/29/16

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Muuy Biien (Photo courtesy Crashing Through Publicity)

If something is “muy bien” in Spanish, that means it’s very good.

If something is “Muuy Biien” in punk rock, that also means it’s very good.

And Muuy Biien is five guys from Athens, Georgia, who make ever-evolving punk, ranging into degrees from post-punk to hardcore to experimental. But wait, the band also composes long ambient tracks? Maybe that’s why they draw comparisons to both Joy Division and The Fall?

The band is made up of lead singer Joshua Evans, guitarists Xander Witt and Robbie Rapp, drummer Jacob Lake, and bass player Parks Miller. They are preparing to release their third full-length album, and they are on the road as openers for Hockey Dad, poised for a stop at DC9 on Monday, August 29. Their third LP, Age of Uncertainty, will be released on Oct. 28 via Autumn Tone, the band announced today.

Muuy Biien released their last album, D.Y.I. (Do Yourself In) on HHBTM Records in 2014. Watch the official music video for title track “D.Y.I.” by Muuy Biien on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KAlsW_dIiM]

Muuy Biien are touring as openers for Australian surf punk duo Hockey Dad. Read our preview for Hockey Dad! And get to the show early to see Muuy Biien! Tickets are available online.

Muuy Biien
Opening for Hockey Dad
DC9
Monday, August 29
Doors @8:30pm
$10-$12
All ages

Don’t Miss: Hockey Dad @ DC9, 8/29/16

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Hockey Dad (Photo by Ian Laidlaw)

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you know that I loooooove me some surf guitar.

Well, Australian surf punk duo Hockey Dad are about to kick up some punky surf in my face, and it will be good. They released their first album Boronia on August 12 via Kanine Records, and they promptly hit the United States for a tour. Tonight, August 19, Hockey Dad perform at Neurolux Lounge in Boise, Idaho, and they make their way to DC on Monday, August 29, to perform at DC9.

Guitarist and vocalist Zach Stephenson and drummer Billy Fleming grew up best friends on Boronia Street in Windang (hence the name of their album). Now, they like sunshine, women, and punk rock and they’ve combined their friendship and shared interests into some appealing music.

Hockey Dad play kinetic, rollicking surf punk, such as with “Can’t Have Them” from the debut album. Watch the official music video for “Can’t Have Them,” where Hockey Dad perform upon some scenic Australian rocks, on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqgcwLbgYTk]

Hockey Dad caught fire with their EP Dreamin’, released via Australian label Farmer and the Owl, gaining admirers with songs like “Can’t Have Them,” “Seaweed,” “And I Need a Woman” prior to their 11-song full-length (which includes several of the EP songs as well).

Their first new single from Boronia is “Jump the Gun,” which Consequence of Sound said “wheels along jangly guitars that are distorted just enough to be comforting, like that slightly dazed feeling that comes with hours joyously soaking up sun and partying in the sand.”

Oh, yeah, you can listen to “Jump the Gun” by Hockey Dad on Soundcloud:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/270620683″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Muuy Biien, a rock quintet hailing from Athens, Georgia, open for Hockey Dad. Tickets are available online.

Hockey Dad
w/ Muuy Biien
DC9
Monday, August 29
Doors @8:30pm
$10-$12
All ages

Don’t Miss: Blood Orange @ Lincoln Theatre, 9/13/16

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Blood Orange performs at Moogfest 2016 in Durham, NC.

Blood Orange aka Dev Hynes released his hotly anticipated third album Freetown Sound on June 28 via Domino, and then announced a limited run of shows called “Welcome to Freetown” to commemorate it.

This initial run of eight shows begins on August 24 in Los Angeles, but lands here in DC with a stop at the Lincoln Theatre on Tuesday, Sept. 13.

The new collection of sparkling, funky R&B signature songs from the UK crooner are collectively named after Freetown, Sierra Leone, where Dev’s father was born.

Watch the official music video for “Augustine,” featuring some cool air piano and some dazzling real piano from Dev, by Blood Orange on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXtzcViZPGA]

“Dev Hynes’ work–populist, experimental, healing, agitating, straightforward, multi-layered–demonstrates this unfailingly. Prince’s radical pop spirit lives on in many artists. But none are channeling it more fully, or artfully,” said Rolling Stone of the album.

I too thought of Prince when I saw Blood Orange perform at Moogfest 2016 in May in Durham, NC. Like the late superstar, Blood Orange doesn’t like to stick to one genre, often mixing new wave sounds into his alt-R&B palette.

If you’re hungry for talent and substance, this show will fulfill your appetite. Tickets are available online.

Blood Orange
Lincoln Theatre
Tuesday, Sept. 13
Doors @6:30pm
$35
All ages