Cypress Hill perform at RFK Stadium Festival Grounds for the National Cannabis Festival on April 21, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
Happy Belated 4/20. Blunted LA rap group Cypress Hill was in the nation’s capital this Saturday to help DC celebrate the marijuana holiday.
Hand Habits performs at the Ottobar on April 20, 2018. (Photo by David LaMason)
Hand Habits, the musical monicker of LA-based / New York native Meg Duffy, is something special. Meg is an incredible guitarist who has played with Mega Bog and currently with Kevin Morby but over the past several years she has honed her songwriting craft in her own project, the debut full-length of which was last year’s Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void), released on Woodsist Records.
Russian Circles performs at Rock and Roll Hotel on April 18, 2018. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
Black. The audience was dressed in black. Which seems entirely appropriate for Russian Circles’ music for it feels absolute. It doesn’t compromise, and it is powerful enough to withstand any light. But strangely enough, despite its seemingly impenetrable “wall of sound” feel, their music has soul, an accessibility that kept the audience on Wednesday at the Rock and Roll Hotel engaged and rapt, hanging on every note, eager for more.
Mating Ritual performs at Black Cat on April 18, 2018.
Taylor Lawhon towered over the audience at Black Cat and began to dazzle everyone with some catchy keyboards, very reminiscent of ‘80s synthpop. Within moments, his brother Ryan appeared to sing alongside him in a gravely voice that occasionally reminded me of Future Islands’ Samuel Herring. As Mating Ritual, the Los Angeles-based duo made for an intriguing opener for Penguin Prison last Wednesday.
Chris Kamsch fronts Dingleberry Dynasty at The Fillmore Silver Spring on March 30, 2018. (Photo by Theresa C. Sanchez)
Let’s take an opportunity to revisit one of the more ridiculous nights of rock and roll to take place in the DC Metro area so far this year, featuring local comic band Dingleberry Dynasty!
Steel Panther perform at The Fillmore Silver Spring on March 30, 2018. (Photo by Theresa C. Sanchez)
Steel Panther — the over-the-top glam metal quartet hailing from Los Angeles — have been on their 2018 Sunset Strip Live! tour since February, following their fourth studio album Lower The Bar, which was released March 24, 2017. The bawdy comic rockers blew through the DC Metro area (with hairspray in hand) three weeks ago and played a sold-out show at The Fillmore Silver Spring with Dingleberry Dynasty opening.
Goo Goo Dolls (Photo by Bob Mussel)
Fans of the late-‘90s and early-‘00s rock scene got a little bit of a treat earlier this month when the Goo Goo Dolls announced a 20th anniversary tour for their multi-platinum album “Dizzy Up The Girl.” Featuring the bulk of the band’s hits (like “Broadway,” “Slide,” and “Iris,”), the album was about as big as any in its genre at the end of the 20th Century. And though the Goo Goo Dolls’ newer material hasn’t quite garnered the same enthusiasm from critics or fans, the band still hits a nostalgic sweet spot for people all across the country.
Sloan (Photo by Corbin Smith)
Power pop quartet Sloan released Sloan 12, the band’s 12th studio album, on April 6 via Murderecords/Yep Roc Records. Following its release with a tour, the Toronto rockers will perform at Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday, May 11.
Sophie Hawley-Weld demonstrates her guitar chops at 9:30 Club on April 18, 2018. (Photo by Will Colbert)
New York-based house band Sofi Tukker performed selections from their debut album Treehouse to a capacity 9:30 Club crowd on Wednesday night. The duo comprised of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern made DC their first stop of a six-month world tour.
Liza Anne (Photo by Tom McGeehan)
Liza Anne released Fine But Dying on Arts & Crafts in March, and she’s coming to DC to perform at Union Stage on the accompanying Fine But Dying Tour on Sunday, May 6.
