Parklife DC

Don’t Miss: Nap Eyes @ DC9, 3/11/16

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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March 9, 2016

Nap Eyes (Photo by Colin Medley)

Psych folk quartet Nap Eyes are an intriguing band, given to deep musings on existence and a taste for arcane literature.

Hailing from Nova Scotia, the band released its sophomore album Thought Rock Fish Scale via Paradise of Bachelors, a North Carolina label that definitely has a particular psychedelic flair. Nap Eyes have launched a tour in support of their new album, and they visit DC9 on Friday, March 11.

Songs from the new album have a vibe of imparting friendly, welcome wisdom — such as the song “Stargazer,” wherein vocalist Nigel Chapman sings of the search for inspiration. Nigel draws a lot of critical comparisons to Lou Reed for his lyrical compositions and his conversational manner of singing. The fellow certainly has a way with words and brings a much needed intellectual heft to indie rock.

Nap Eyes dropped by Coach House Sound Sessions to record a live video for “Stargazer” in February. Watch it on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ihn66RDDfJ4]

With able collaboration from bassist Josh Salter, guitarist Brad Loughead, and drummer Seamus Dalton, Nigel develops winsome guitar pop, recording plainly and simply live with no overdubs.

Said Noisey of the band, “Nap Eyes moves from psych-riffs to astrophysicists, from Rubaiyatic poetry to punctuated bass, in easy fluid motions. Chapman’s calm, steady voice can be as pained as Bob Dylan’s, and his lyrics can be just as profound.”

Irish guitarist Cian Nugent opens for Nap Eyes. Tickets are available online.

Nap Eyes
w/ Cian Nugent
DC9
Friday, March 11
Doors @6:30pm
$10
All ages

Don’t Miss: Metric @ The Fillmore Silver Spring, 3/13/16

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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March 9, 2016

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Don’t Miss: Metric @ The Fillmore Silver Spring, 3/13/16

Metric (Photo by Norman Wong)

Last September, Metric released a fantastic new album — their sixth — Pagans in Vegas. It continues a journey Metric began with their first album, as the Toronto quartet have blazed a trail from catchy melodies and clever wordplay to sophisticated vignettes of complex musical arrangements.

While fourth album Fantasies had a big sound reflecting its themes of life among others and fifth album Synthetica turned inward to assess life within ourselves, the new album straddles the two, which is appropriate as the band said they drew inspiration from influences like Depeche Mode and Underworld. The resulting songs occasionally project out or turn inward, but the results always make for excellent songcraft.

Lead singer Emily Haines is in fine form, and the band seem to have grown in such a way that depends less on her sassy demeanor and more on operating as a collective. In the lead-up to the album release, I caught Metric at the Verizon Center opening for Imagine Dragons on July 6, 2015, and observed: “Metric were in terrific form all around, and Emily sounded superb and looked fantastic.”

Now Metric return for their own headlining tour at The Fillmore Silver Spring this Sunday, March 13, in what is certain to be a great show.

In some of their latest music videos, Metric have opted for swirling visual effects rather than film of the band performing. Watch the official music video for “The Governess,” a song that gets a bit bluesy, by Metric on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjHLlyVvac8]

Metric also recorded acoustic versions of four of their songs this year at 11th Street Records in Las Vegas for a Spotify Session. Listen on Spotify!

I have long pointed to Metric as the standard-bearers for intelligent new wave music since their formation in 1998, and The New York Times recently echoed my sentiment in a review of the new album. “Whether the attitude is deeply cynical or brightly optimistic, the Canadian band Metric keeps its songs neat, succinct, and tuneful on its sixth album, Pagans in Vegas, making the lessons of 1980s new wave sound current,” said The Times.

Electro quintet Joywave open for Metric on Sunday! Tickets are available online.

Metric
w/ Joywave
The Fillmore Silver Spring
Sunday, March 13
Show @8pm
$31
All ages

Don’t Miss: Your Friend @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 3/9/16

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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March 8, 2016

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Don’t Miss: Your Friend @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 3/9/16

Taryn Miller aka Your Friend (Photo by Crystal Lee Farris)

Taryn Miller is Your Friend.

No, really she is. She’s performing as such at the Rock and Roll Hotel tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9. She’s Your Friend.

The bedroom-pop chanteuse has won praise for her lilting yet brooding synthy style.

Said Stereogum: “Miller has a knack for combining disparate sounds into a unified palette, deploying everything from guitar samples to drum loops to field recordings to ominous synth sounds in service of her distinct sonic point of view. The resulting music exists in a shadowy space between Radiohead’s cinematic brooding and Wye Oak at their slowest and stateliest.”

Taryn released her debut album, Gumption, on Jan. 29, and she’s opening for Porches and Alex G, her labelmates at the Domino Recording Co., tomorrow as part of her tour to support the album.

Taryn began writing the songs that would become Gumption at her studio space and apartment in Lawrence, Kan., after returning from touring in mid-2014 including some dates with Courtney Barnett. She took a field recorder to her family farm in Winfield, Kansas, in the process of trying to capture a dreamy, nostalgic vibe. You can hear the results yourself in slow, contemplative songs like “Come Back from It.”

Watch the official music video for “Come Back from It” on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye8z8J1EoLA]

You can stream the some of the album Gumption on Soundcloud:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/189237851″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Tickets are available online!

Your Friend
Opening for Porches and Alex G
Rock and Roll Hotel
Wednesday, March 9
Doors @7pm
$13.50/$15
All ages

Ticket Giveaway: Deer Tick @ Sixth & I, 3/10/16

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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March 8, 2016

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John Joseph McCauley and his alt-country band Deer Tick have launched an acoustic tour, and they are hitting the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue on Thursday, March 10.

Parklife DC is giving away a pair of tickets for you to see the show!

In 2013, Deer Tick released their fifth album, Negativity, which was inspired by John Joseph’s personal struggles with family, divorce and drugs. The band draw inspiration from diverse sources, including blues, grunge and even glam. You see, in recent years, Deer Tick have paid tribute to the late, great Lou Reed by covering a few of his songs, like “Hangin’ Around” from the seminal album Transformer.

Watch Deer Tick perform “Hangin’ Around” in a recent acoustic session on YouTube:

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

This is a great opportunity to see Deer Tick in a setting sure to bolster their acoustic Americana. For your chance to win these tickets, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between now and noon on Wednesday, March 9. Feel free to leave any comment, but perhaps share your favorite song by Deer Tick! One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketmaster.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will close on Wednesday, March 9, at noon and we will randomly select a winner. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 12 hours, or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the Sixth & I box office on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

Good luck! (And you can buy tickets online if you don’t win.)

Deer Tick
w/ Mutual Benefit and Ryley Walker
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Thursday, March 10
Show @8pm
$25
All ages

Don’t Miss: ShamrockFest 2016 @ RFK Stadium Festival Grounds, 3/12/16

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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March 7, 2016

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Don’t Miss: ShamrockFest 2016 @ RFK Stadium Festival Grounds, 3/12/16

On Saturday, March 12th, the 17th Annual ShamrockFest hits the RFK Stadium Festival Grounds with an epic amount of green and Irish music.

Your local Irish heroes, Scythian, will be playing at 5:30pm, along with plenty of other bands, notably Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys.

And Mr. Van Winkle himself, aka Vanilla Ice, will also rock the mic like a vandal. Paired with an Irish Coffee, things could get very interesting. (Irish Vanilla Ice Coffee?)

Here are 17 reasons you should go this year!

ShamrockFest 2016
RFK Stadium Festival Grounds
Saturday, March 12, 2016
Festival: 3-11pm
General: $29.99 (or $24.99 with purchase of 4+ tics)
VIP: $74.99+ (21+ only)
All ages

Music Park: Deep Sea Diver @ DC9 — 2/29/16

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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March 4, 2016

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Music Park: Deep Sea Diver @ DC9 — 2/29/16

Deep Sea Diver (Photo Courtesy of Force Field PR)

There was a moment in Deep Sea Diver’s set at DC9 on February 29th, where lead singer Jessica Dobson suddenly ignited and the energy level ratcheted up to 11.

That moment came halfway through the set, in the long intro to “Wide Awake”, a song that left the crowd no doubt they were witnessing a revelationary performance. Just that short burst of rhythm and rock alone was enough to make the show.

Then from boisterous anthem to subdued, yet equally sublime, they transitioned to “Great Light”, a ballad of hopeful love, brought to life through Jessica’s lilting voice, that might break your heart if it wasn’t merely a song.

As Jessica set down her guitar (one of two used during the show) with broken strings poking in every direction, Jessica joked that this is, “literally the first song I play without an instrument in my hands.” And she did need both hands to hold the mic steady enough to take the force of the lyrics.

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Music Park: Radiation City @ DC9 — 2/29/16

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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March 4, 2016

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Music Park: Radiation City @ DC9 — 2/29/16

Radiation City (from left to right): Dasha Shleyeva, Cameron Spies, Elisabeth Ellison, Randy Bemrose, Patti King (Photo by Holly Andres)

Radiation City’s musical renewal with their third full-length album, Synesthetica (released Feb. 12), has served the quintet well, extending the band’s catalog with catchy guitar licks and roving synthesizers.

At the heart of Radiation City are Elisabeth Ellison on vocals and synths and Cameron Spies on vocals and guitar. I’m not certain how the band’s dynamics worked in the past, but on tour to support the new album with a stop at DC9 on Monday night, the couple dominated the proceedings when trading off on lead vocals, providing the audience with two different yet welcome flavors in their sound.

The crowded room enjoyed quite a full bill with Seattle’s Deep Sea Diver opening, and they make for great tour companions with Radiation City. But more continuity with their tourmates is found in the songs where Cameron takes lead on vocals, as his songs have a similar edge to them with forward guitar and soulful, worldly vocals. Cameron serenades his audience early with Radiation City’s “Winter Blind” from their 2012 EP, Cool Nightmare.

It is a distinguishing feature of Radiation City, however, that the band consistently has strong guitar forward for a dreampop band. The women of Radiation City — Elisabeth and Patti King — flank the rest of the band with their synthesizers on the sides of the stage but they sure do take center in many of the songs, particularly the catchiest of the new crop.

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Don’t Miss: HÆLOS @ U Street Music Hall, Canceled

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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March 3, 2016

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Don’t Miss: HÆLOS @ U Street Music Hall, Canceled

HÆLOS (Photo by Dave Ma)

Editor’s Note: This show has been canceled entirely, the 9:30 Club announced on Monday, August 22.

~~Editors Note: Originally set for Monday, March 28, the concert by HÆLOS at U Street Music Hall has been rescheduled to Thursday, Sept. 22, 2016.~~

With its minimalist electronics, airy vocals, and chilled-out tempo, “The Sun Rising” by UK duo The Beloved is a leisurely wonderful dance track that absolutely nails how new wave music might morph into house.

Already a brilliant song, it was ripe for covering by a band that could use it as a foundation upon which to build. Enter London trio HÆLOS, admirers of trip hop bands like Massive Attack and Portishead.

HÆLOS added some steady percussion, a trip hop hallmark, around the song’s electronics, and harmonized in forward vocals, a trip hop necessity, to lend their own flavor to the song. And to great effect!

Listen to HÆLOS cover “The Sun Rising” by The Beloved on Soundcloud:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/205090722″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Now Lotti Benardout, Arthur Delaney, and Dom Goldsmith are set to release their debut album, providing us with lush original music they call “the music you put on after the club.” It’s energy and euphoria mixed with memories, according to the band.

Dom, the main lyricist, takes on the drums; Arthur takes up the synths; Lori, Dom, and Arthur all sing. The results are heady, ascendant trip hop for introspective dancers who don’t want their hearts to stop beating quickly in the form of songs like the single “Separate Lives.” The band released a music video for this engaging, soaring number today!

Watch the official music video for “Separate Lives” by HÆLOS on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IY0JVKORfR4]

HÆLOS will release that first album, Full Circle, on March 18 via Matador Records. And they are launching a US tour that leads them through SXSW in March and onto the Coachella Music Festival in April. The band stops locally at U Street Music Hall on Monday, March 28, as part of that tour, which is sure to be a uniquely awakening experience.

Tickets are available online.

HÆLOS
U Street Music Hall
Monday, March 28
Doors @7pm
$15
All ages

Music Park: Julia Holter @ Rock and Roll Hotel — 2/25/16

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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March 2, 2016

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Music Park: Julia Holter @ Rock and Roll Hotel — 2/25/16

Julia Holter performing live at Village Underground on 11/11/2013. (Photo by Zoe Klinck)

With a strong fiddle player at her side, Julia Holter charmed the Rock and Roll Hotel crowd with a mix of experimental pop and folk-like songs.

At one point she whispered to the crowd, “Everything happens here…in DC…that’s important.” Whether this is true or not is debatable, but it did spark the crowd to start a lively round of shouts throughout the concert. The most entertaining being when one guy (and I assume the winner of every Louis C.K. look-alike contest) shouted, “We love you!” And he did. And they did.

Julia played a number of new songs off her latest album, Have You In My Wilderness, which received a great deal of buzz in the press in 2015.

One such new song was, “Feel You”, which she described as the ‘dorkiest song’ on the new record. Yet, I thought it was the strongest effort from the 13-song set she performed.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2JgMniIpRM]

For the style and the sound, often individual songs segued into a cacophony of different vocal sounds and arrangements and pantomimed gestures that flowed around the lyrics, changing the dynamic and the mood from moment to moment. Hence, why some have dubbed her music experimental.

I found this eclectic mixing most interesting in the form of the “Sea Calls Me Home” (which was also the last song of the encore), where the song transitions from an airy pop song to a drumbeat chant of the chorus.

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

The lyrics of the funky “Vasquez” and “Silhouette” syncopated and slithered, while the three member band (drums, guitar and fiddle) kept time and the audience swayed. The Rock and Roll Hotel was mostly full, and it appeared a good number were quite familiar with Julia’s catalog and were having a fine time indeed.

Give the album, Have You In My Wilderness, a listen here.

Julia’s tour continues in Canada and the Midwest through March, then she picks up again in May at the Gorge Amphitheatre in Washington state (it’s a beautiful setting for music, you should check it out) for the Sasquatch Music Festival, before heading to a couple European cities!

Music Park: Furniteur @ Songbyrd Music House –2/28/16

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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March 2, 2016

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Music Park: Furniteur @ Songbyrd Music House –2/28/16

Brittany Sims, Mike Toohey, and Kevin Bayly of Furniteur at Songbyrd Music House on Feb. 28, 2016. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: GrillworksBen)

It is a delightful thing to walk into a room when Furniteur are playing.

The cool chill of their synthesizers and the sultry vocals of their chanteuse leaves a distinct impression upon you. You are ready to forget about your cares and relax with a cocktail or two. And that’s exactly what I did when I walked into Songbyrd Music House to catch Furniteur in a late show on Sunday night.

Brittany Sims, Mike Toohey, and Kevin Bayly (the two men of synth also in the band Brett) make smart music for cocktails at twilight as they inject an old school charm into their music. As for their music, Furniteur released a new EP featuring a cover of Julee Cruise’s “Falling,” the theme to “Twin Peaks” (yes, the David Lynch TV show), in February.

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