Sabrina Ellis fronts A Giant Dog at DC9 on Sept. 3, 2017. (Photo by David LaMason)
“I believe in girls who believe in rock and roll.” So opens “& Rock & Roll” from the Austin, Texas band A Giant Dog from their third album Pile. Seeing the band take the stage at a packed DC9 Sunday night, it’s clear that they not only believe in rock and roll but embody it!
Throwing Plates perform at 9:30 Club on Sept. 2, 2017. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
The 9:30 Club transformed Saturday into a showcase for some of the finest local bands DC has to offer. The brainchild of local DJ and musician Brian Nelson-Palmer, the first annual (one hopes) DC Music Rocks Festival presented five bands, each with distinct musical pedigrees.
Broken Social Scene (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
Experimental Canadian rock band Broken Social Scene released Hug of Thunder, its fifth studio album, via Arts & Crafts in July. The 17-person collective then launched a world tour that included a stop at 9:30 Club on Sept. 19. That night quickly sold out, and the band added a second show at 9:30 Club on Wednesday, Sept. 20. You can win tickets to attend that show with Parklife DC.
Ted Leo (Photo by Matias Corral)
Ted Leo is well known to us in DC, as he formed Ted Leo and the Pharmacists here in 1999. Wherever Ted goes, he always comes back to DC, and such is the case next week! On Friday, Sept. 8, Ted Leo releases The Hanged Man, his 13th studio album overall but his first under solely his name. Then one week later, he drops by Black Cat to play two headlining shows on Friday, Sept. 15, and Saturday, Sept. 16.
Dan Croll (Photo courtesy Press Here)
Dan Croll released Emerging Adulthood, his second studio album, via Kobalt Music Group and Communion Records in July. In conjunction with the record, he’s launched a headlining tour that arrives at Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday, Sept. 8.
Jay Som (Photo by Ebru Yildiz)
Melina Duterte, better known as Jay Som, released Everybody Works, her sophomore album, via Polyvinyl Records and Double Denim Records in March. She’s been subsequently touring quite a lot, and she stops at Rock and Roll Hotel for a headlining show on Saturday, Sept. 23.
Guided by Voices play to a sold-out Ottobar on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017. (Photo by David LaMason)
Bob Pollard at this point could rest soundly on his impressive laurels — 25 Guided by Voices albums as of this writing, spanning nearly 35 years and 100 albums in total for Pollard himself. But as Bob pointed out very clearly at the Ottobar in Baltimore Thursday night, he’s not about to just play the hits! Teamed with Kevin March (drums), Bobby Bare, Jr. (guitar), Mark Shue (bass), and Doug Gillard (guitar), and a sizable cooler filled with Miller Light and tequila, the band played a sweaty and fun set to this sold-out crowd.
Rob Grote fronts The Districts at 9:30 Club on Aug. 18, 2017. (Photo by Theresa C. Sanchez)
The Districts Refresh Dehydrated Fans with Tall Serving of Rock
“Hydrate yourselves: naturally, mentally, in every way you possibly can. Even, politically […]” said songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Sam Owens at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., on a recent Friday.
Who better to advise on matters of liquid nourishment than the frontman for the New York-based band Sam Evian, who shares part of its moniker with the French brand of premium (see what I did there) mineral water that boasts the tagline “Live Young.” Given the demographic of the audience, he was spot on.
Apocalyptica (Photo courtesy Odyssey Music)
In 1996, a Finnish cello band released their debut album, where they promptly shattered expectations and produced an album of Metallica covers. Apocalyptica thus published Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, an instrumental rock opus dedicated to songs by the famous heavy metal band. To mark the 20th anniversary of the album, Apocalyptica remasters it with bonus tracks in 2016 and launched a tour — and that tour arrives at the Lincoln Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 9.
Warpaint (Photo courtesy Beggars Group)
Last year, Warpaint released Heads Up, their third studio album, and the shoegazing quartet took their album on the road in a successful tour that hit 9:30 Club. This year, ladies from Los Angeles return to DC as the opening act for Depeche Mode at Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center) one week from today on Thursday, Sept. 7. If you’re going to see Depeche Mode, get there early to catch Warpaint!
