Parklife DC

Around Town: DC’s First Street NE is Voted #6 Best New Bike Lane of 2015

Jeremy Bailey

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December 23, 2015

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Around Town: DC’s First Street NE is Voted #6 Best New Bike Lane of 2015

First Street NE Bike Lane near Union Station (Photo Credit: Mike Goodno)

PeopleForBikes has released their 10 best new bike lanes in America in 2015.

Congrats to DC and the DDOT for having the #6 best new bike lane in the country!

They gave the honor to First Street NE and the new, protected lane that runs next to Union Station.

This is the third year they’ve released a best list, and in 2015 they had 80 new projects across the country to choose from.

Read the full article here.

PeopleForBikes is the movement to make riding better for everyone. By collaborating with millions of individual riders, businesses, community leaders, and elected officials, we’re uniting people to create a powerful, united voice for bicycling and its benefits.

Music Park: Stand With Me: A Song for Peace and Understanding

Live Review

Parklifer

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December 22, 2015

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fT5OpShw_9g&w=640&h=360]

A group of DC-based artists and musicians recently gathered on the National Mall to create a song and video to promote peace, and they were joined by some volunteers they happened to encounter along the way. Watch their video above!

Multimedia journalist Winyan Soo Hoo wrote to us to explain their message of peace calls attention to the Syrian refugee crisis as well as the fight against Islamophobia.

“It’s a unique approach to a nuanced topic and a great way to call for compassion and decency for all communities,” she said.

In the spirit of brotherhood — and sisterhood — among all, we are compelled to share their video. Perhaps you will also!

Music Park: Des Ark @ Comet Ping Pong — 12/16/15

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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December 22, 2015

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Music Park: Des Ark @ Comet Ping Pong — 12/16/15

Des Ark (Photo Credit: Marc Krause)

After a lengthy sound check that turned into a request to switch off the PA system in the second song, Des Ark finally got into their groove at Coment Ping Pong on December 16th.

Des Ark consists of singer/guitarist Aimée Collet Argote and drummer Tim Herzog, along with a few others.

Their latest album, Everything Dies, highlights Aimée ‘s folky, breathy voice and starts off with songs of angst and pain, from the perspective of women who are wronged or abused. The title is apt and the lyrics are heartbreaking. But then there comes a perceptible shift towards quiet optimism. Towards something worth fighting for.

Des Ark started off their set with such a more optimistic song from the album, “French Fries Are Magical”, which has the affecting question, “What can I believe, until you believe in me?” at its heart.

A few songs later, they played their strongest song (or at least my favorite) from Everything Dies, “Snake Stuff”, about heartbreak in love. “If I don’t learn to love, I’m going to die of fear.” The melody soared above the small, but tightly packed crowd.

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

Put together, the song writing and lyrics can incite a sense of melodically, while the gentle melodies and almost atmospheric music bring the mood into quiet harmony.

“Don Taco & His Hot Sauce Toss” starts off with a twangy banjo and moves into a happy acknowledgment of youth in love.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/211834074″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]

I didn’t catch the names of all eight or so songs Des Ark played, so I focused on the ones I knew from listening to Everything Dies.

The Comet Ping Pong space is small, and one side is simply blankets hanging down separating the music room from the restaurant. But it’s a perfect, intimate venue for a band like Des Ark, who has songs to deliver that are quiet and important to hear.

Check out Everything Dies, and give Des Ark a listen.

The Comet Ping Pong show was their last in 2015, but they pick up again in mid-January in North Carolina, then tour through mid-February throughout the country, before ending in Savannah, Georgia (3/12/16) after a month gap.

Sports Park: Capitals Fortnightly Report Card — 12/7-12/20/15

Around Town

Jeremy Bailey

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December 21, 2015

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Sports Park: Capitals Fortnightly Report Card — 12/7-12/20/15

Fortnightly Record: 6-1 (12 pts)
Overall: 24-6-2 (50 pts)

Your Washington Capitals have made a statement. They are here and they will not be trifled with.

Their latest victim is their bitter rivals, the New York Rangers. After taking a 3-1 lead in the 1st Period of Sunday’s game (December 20), the Rangers were probably feeling pretty good about themselves. But then the Capitals decided to crush them. Mercilessly. They scored six straight goals to dominate the game, 7-3.

With that victory, the Caps have extended their first place lead in the Metropolitan Division to 8 points (over said Rangers). At 50 points on the season, they are tied with Dallas for the most points in the league. And they have played one less game than Dallas.

They also have a 5-game winning streak, and have won 12 of their last 15.

The Caps are firing on all cylinders. Tonight they play at Carolina and look to continue their recent brilliance. And dominance.

Results

December 8, 2015: Red Wings at Capitals – Win (3-2 SO)

December 10, 2015: Capitals at Panthers – Loss (1-4)

December 12, 2015: Capitals at Lightning – Win (2-1)

December 14, 2015: Capitals at Penguins – Win (4-1)

December 16, 2015: Senators at Capitals – Win (2-1)

December 18, 2015: Lightning at Capitals – Win (5-3)

December 20, 2015: Capitals at Rangers – Win (7-3)

December 7-December 20 Fortnightly Report Card: A+

2015-2016 Fortnightly Report Card Archive

Music Park: Foals @ Lincoln Theatre — 12/16/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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December 21, 2015

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Music Park: Foals @ Lincoln Theatre — 12/16/15

Yannis Philippakis of the Foals performs at La Route Du Rock in France on Aug. 16, 2015. (Photo by Alter1fo)

“This song is about what happens when Trump gets into office,” said the very Greek Yannis Philippakis, frontman of the UK band Foals, when introducing a new song, “A Knife in the Ocean.”

The shimmery psychedelic song is both a departure and an affirmation of previous songs by the Foals in that it is more slowly paced but still built upon remarkable guitarwork. The song, from the band’s fourth studio album What Went Down, is about losing things to time as if they were washed away by the sea. Apparently, Yannis believes we will lose many things of value if Donald Trump becomes US president.

Politics aside, Yannis and his three bandmates played a sold-out show at the Lincoln Theatre on Wednesday, Dec. 16, enrapturing an enthusiastic audience with new material like “Knife” that stacked up well with the Foals’ more familiar songs.

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Music Park: The Arcs @ 9:30 Club — 12/14/15

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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December 18, 2015

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Music Park: The Arcs @ 9:30 Club — 12/14/15

Dan Auerbach of The Arcs (Photo Credit: Monelle Chiti)

When a band features two drummers, a keyboardist, a bassist, a chorus line from an all female mariachi band, and a lead singer who shreds his guitar in a state of estatic bliss, you know you’re in for something more. Something alive. Something visceral.

Dan Auerbach’s project, The Arcs, because it is clearly no one else’s, is raucous and funky and unique in ways that are not just about music, but about life. Living to the fullest. Not giving a shit what anyone else thinks. Crying out “this is who I am, thank you coming, but I’ll still enjoy what I do, whether you do or not.”

That The Arcs exist, is a testament to Auerbach’s need to create, to express himself passionately, to find outlets where he can bare his soul, and experiment musically outside of The Black Keys.

And The Black Keys are great. I’ve seen them three times already (unfortunately, most recently at the first Firefly Music Festival), so I was intrigued to discover what The Arcs were all about. What they represented in comparison and in contrast.

The Arcs still have Auerbach’s garage rock and blues sensibility, with his unmistakable voice. It would not be a stretch to mistake The Arcs’ sound for The Black Keys.

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Music Park: Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2015 by Mickey

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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December 17, 2015

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Music Park: Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2015 by Mickey

Steve Norman of Spandau Ballet was a star player at the 9:30 Club on April 28, 2015. (Photo by Joy Asico)

When I look back upon 2015, I certainly discovered my share of new favorite bands. But I have to confess, the best shows of the year were dominated by legacy bands returning to reclaim their pop thrones. And so the shows I am most excited about in 2015 were generally those shows where a genre-defining artist came back to DC and absolutely mastered their art.

But I’ll add this postscript: 2015 also was the year of the punk rock girl, as several notable bands reminded me of how much I like a woman’s voice over a bit of surf or rockabilly guitar. I’ll explain more after my official list of Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2015.

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Music Park: Mariachi Flor de Toloache @ 9:30 Club — 12/14/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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December 16, 2015

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Music Park: Mariachi Flor de Toloache @ 9:30 Club — 12/14/15

Four members of Mariachi Flor de Toloache perform at the US Consulate in Chennai, India, on Nov. 13, 2013. (Photo courtesy US Consulate Chennai)

Four women of Mariachi Flor de Toloache brought brightness *and* efficiency to bear at the 9:30 Club Monday as openers for The Arcs — a new band from The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach of which they also are members.

The all-female mariachi band from New York City toured in a slimmed down line-up (which can involve up to 13 rotating members) of four, including vocalist and violinist Mireya Ramos, vocalist and guitarist Shae Fiol, trumpet player Julie Acosta, and a fourth member who I am sadly unable to identify for you. The four talented women sang songs from their self-titled debut album, and they brought spunk and spirit to the stage as an effective warm-up for The Arcs — well, effectively for themselves as well as the four blended seamlessly into The Arcs, providing vocals, strings, and horns as members of the 10-person collective.

Band founder Mireya engaged the audience with style and grace, asking Spanish speakers in the sold-out crowd to identify themselves. Although there were many delightful “Woo’s!” in the house in response, those with mastery of only the English language like myself need not have worried. Flor de Toloache played universally appealing material, and they led the audience along in several singalongs with cool aplomb.

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Music Park: Ed Schrader’s Music Beat @ 9:30 Club — 12/10/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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December 15, 2015

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Music Park: Ed Schrader’s Music Beat @ 9:30 Club — 12/10/15

Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice of Ed Schrader’s Music Beat (Photo courtesy Infinity Cat Recordings)

Ed Schrader was switched on.

“I wanna give it up for Stoli,” he proclaimed at the 9:30 Club Thursday night, raising his glass. He pauses for a beat. “Oh, I mean Crystal Geyser.”

As he continued to have fun with things he’s “not supposed to do,” he flipped off his shirt, noting he was stopped from doing so in Texas, and introduced “a song about joining the military.”

Ed Schrader and his partner in crime Devlin Rice form Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, and the band were in DC to open for hometown heroes Ex Hex. With the lively pace of a human metronome, Ed dove into his songs with gusto, playing 90 second bursts of punk songs that were distinguished by their surprisingly engaging rhythms.

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Around Town: Grand Opening @ Lab 1270 – 12/10/15

Around Town

Mickey McCarter

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December 14, 2015

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Around Town: Grand Opening @ Lab 1270 – 12/10/15

Outside Lab 1270 (Photo by Joy Asico)

You know how you drive past those garage bays and warehouses when you’re arriving at Union Market? Well, now the market has given you a reason to stop by and investigate one of those spaces instead of driving past them.

Several startup retailers have taken up residence in Lab 1270 (1270 5th St. NE, DC), a fashion incubator of sorts, offering various clothing and lifestyle items for those seeking to reinvigorate their style.

For example, during a Thursday grand opening party, my companion Yasmin was taken by the vibrant colors and general selection at Ron David, a retailer that occupied a prime space near the front of the incubator space. Rather than simply offering the standard DC range of conservative winter wear, Ron David had an array of livelier colors and styles that caught her eye. For more info on Ron David’s offerings, visit their website at http://shoprondavid.com.

Shoppers browse Ron David at Lab 1270 in Union Market. (Photo by Joy Asico)

After browsing some clothes, we were pleasantly surprised to find a bar in the next space. But this was no ordinary bar — it was a kumbucha bar. And we were pleased to sample some refreshment from Craft Kombucha as we continued to explore the area around us.

The vendors inside Lab 1270 right now are only committed to be there through February 2016. They include, in alphabetical order, Caryn Cramer, Craft Kombucha, Dunn Lewis MC, Guerilla Vending, Lisa Shirk, Living Threads, Master Williams, Niko+Ava, Ron David, S3 Active, South Block Juice, Thursday Boot Co., and Time Off, among others.

The space also currently houses an art installation known as #ACreativeDC, and it is planning dinner events, yoga classes, and other activities through the winter. Specifically for the holidays, Salt & Sundry and photographer Emma McAlary will offer portrait sessions at Lab 1270 as well. Others will provide gift wrapping and wreath and garland workshops for all of your holiday needs.

Lab 1270 is now open Thursday through Sunday every week from 10am-4pm.

For more information on Lab 1270 and its vendors, visit http://www.unionmarketdc.com/lab1270.

Thursday Boot Co. makes handcrafted boots to order. (Photo by Joy Asico)