MK (Photo courtesy Mitch Schneider Organization)
In September, Detroit producer MK released “17,” his latest single, and it has since been steadily building momentum. To date, the track has garnered more than 6.5 million streams on Spotify — and it may be set to enter the Top #20 of the UK Singles charts. At the very moment of this success, MK drops into DC to perform at U Street Music Hall on Saturday, Nov. 11.
Gary Numan (Photo courtesy BB Gun Press)
Synth pioneer Gary Numan released Savage (Songs from a Broken World), his remarkable 21st album, on Sept. 15 via BMG. The record entered the UK Album Chart at #2, making it his highest charting album since Telekon in 1980.
Gary will conduct a North American tour to accompany the album release, and he will play at 9:30 Club on Saturday, Dec. 9. You can win tickets to see them with Parklife DC by joining a free raffle at Dodge City on Thursday, Nov. 9 — tomorrow!
Cubanate (Photo courtesy Armalyte Records)
British techno rockers Cubanate recently released Brutalism, a new 14 song compilation lifted from their first three albums circa 1992-96, remastered by Armalyte Records. Cubanate are now on tour opening for Front Line Assembly, and they perform songs like “Oxyacetylene,” “Body Burn,” and “Joy” tonight, Nov. 7, at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia.
Modern English (Photo courtesy Kartel Music Group)
In February, legendary post-punk rockers Modern English released Take Me to the Trees, their first album by original members of the band in 30 years. The band successfully funded the album via PledgeMusic. Now, they will perform at Rock and Roll Hotel on Tuesday, Nov. 21.
Dave Wakeling of the English Beat (Photo by Bryan Kremkau)
Legendary ska rockers English Beat are closing out the year with another tour of the United States, and frontman Dave Wakeling and company visit the Lincoln Theatre in DC on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Baio performs at The Anthem on Nov. 2, 2017. (Photo by Paivi)
Chris Baio, bassist for Vampire Weekend, tours as a solo act as Baio. He dropped by The Anthem on Thursday to open for The Shins, and Paivi photographed his show. (Check out Paivi’s photos of The Shins here.)
James Mercer fronts The Shins at The Anthem on Nov. 2, 2017. (Photo by Paivi)
The Shins made a highly anticipated return to DC with a show at The Anthem on Thursday, and Paivi caught some pix of the band’s performance.
Getter (Photo courtesy OWSLA)
Suh Dudes! We welcomed the California-based disc jockey Tanner Petulla, better known as Getter, in the house to deliver a mesmerizing performance at Echostage on Halloween. The crowd was ready for a festive night as everyone was dressed in their spookiest and scantiest costumes as Getter was ready to take stage. Echostage was filled with anticipation for the performance and ready for takeoff.
Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey (right) of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
The brilliant Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) released The Punishment of Luxury, their 13th studio album, on Sept. 1 via 100% Records subsidiary White Noise. The album fared very well commercially, hitting #4 on the UK Albums chart as well as #7 on the US Top Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
I had the genuine pleasure of again chatting with Andy McCluskey, vocalist, bassist, keyboardist, and songwriter for OMD, as the band will launch a North American Tour with a performance at 9:30 Club on March 6, 2018. (It’s not officially announced by 9:30 Club yet, but buy your tickets online here.)
In our chat, Andy provides insights into songs on The Punishment of Luxury, shares his feelings on recent work by Gary Numan and New Order, and reveals artists (with some surprises) with whom OMD would like to collaborate (particularly as they approach their 40th anniversary as a band).
I babbled a bit more than usual because he’s a personal hero, and as such my interview covered a lot of ground. I’ve edited the order of the questions to improve their logical flow and trimmed them where necessary for brevity. (Also, perhaps read our previous Parklife DC interview with Andy McCluskey from May 2016.)
Amanda Palmer performs with The Dresden Dolls at 9:30 Club on Oct. 31, 2017. (Photo by Paivi)
You’ll never meet someone as comfortable in her own skin as Amanda Palmer.
The sassy singer/vaudevillian was perfectly at home at 9:30 Club on Tuesday, and it’s clear to see she would be perfectly at home absolutely anywhere. Her wits and her talents got her by early in life, and those assets continued to do so as she embarked on a brief east coast tour with drummer Brian Viglione as punk cabaret darlings The Dresden Dolls.
