Phantogram recently launched a headline North American tour in support of their fifth album, Memory of a Day (Neon Gold Records).
The dream pop duo arrive for a performance at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Tuesday, Feb. 4!
DC funk pop collective Strutman Lane recently played an EP release show at The Atlantis, and it was sold out!
Parklife’s Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the performance.
I admit it. As a music writer, I have a lot to learn about women in the music industry. What I do know, however, is that the first step in correcting that oversight is to not assign a label to musicians. Artists are artists, musicians are musicians, regardless of gender. Shook Twins, along with opening band Glitterfox, definitively made the case that — when it comes to creative, compelling music — gender is irrelevant.
Arriving in Bellingham, Washington, recently on a short Pacific Northwest tour, Shook Twins (Katelyn and Laurie) recently brought their “quirky folk music” to an enthusiastic crowd at the Wild Buffalo House of Music. Though not quite sold out, the audience’s energy nonetheless translated to widespread dancing and exuberant sing-alongs throughout the night.
There are few musical artists who evoke, for me, a sense of place. They create a world where I can picture in my mind not so much a story as I can a setting. David Gray’s music always made me think of the sea. There’s a soulfully warm and worn-in quality to his voice. And, little did I know until his show at The Anthem Sunday night, that he had, in fact, grown up in a seaside town in Wales. Maybe one part nature and two parts nurture.
Gray has been one of the artists I’ve never had the chance to see live, so seeing that he was coming back to DC and to The Anthem — his first stop there since 2019 — I jumped on the chance.
When Blind Pilot played The Atlantis last summer, it had been far too long since the band had been to DC — years, in fact.
This time around, the Portland, Ore.-based group didn’t wait as long to return to the nation’s capital. Led by Israel Nebeker, a perceptive and gentle singer-songwriter, Blind Pilot returned on tour for a show at 9:30 Club, promoting its fourth album, In The Shadow Of The Holy Mountain.
In 2022, big bands roared back to life on the global touring circuit. And thankfully, many of Parklife’s favorite new wave acts returned to the stage in our hometown DC area. We were so excited that we published a list of legacy ’80s-era new wave and post punk acts and tracked them for that year.
We thought we would do it again for 2025!
Yamato is a Japanese Taiko drumming group based in Asuka-mura Nara Prefecture which is well known by Japanese people as the hometown of Japan. They call themselves “YAMATO, the Taiko drumming group that travels all over the world.” They have given more than 4,500 shows across 54 countries around the world since their formation in 1993.
Recently, Yamato performed in a vibrant and thrilling show at the Strathmore Music Center, and Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the performance.
Frigid temperatures, dangerous, icy roads — not even these deter. As last week proved, there’s little that can cool the DMV’s fervor for bluegrass and specifically the warmth it exudes for a man who’s brought the music to so many: Del McCoury.
In what’s become the performing arts center’s most anticipated winter-time tradition, The Barns at Wolf Trap hosted the Del McCoury Band in a series of concerts this past week. The lauded ensemble performed five shows across six nights and showcased decade-specific sets to the delight of a packed house each evening.
It kicked off Jan. 21 with an evening devoted to songs from the 1960s, followed by a night of ‘70s-specific works on Wednesday. After a break on Thursday night, Del and his trusty crew performed three straight nights, celebrating songs from the ‘80s on Friday night, the ‘90s on Saturday, and wrapping up Sunday with a focus on the 2000s.
As the daughter of The Band’s Levon Helm, Amy Helm is rock royalty. Gifted with a gorgeous, powerful voice, she has forged a fine career for herself as both an interpreter of songs and with her own original material. Her recent set at The Hamilton Live in DC showed off her remarkable singing and the great material from her latest album, Silver City, which came out last year.
The Birchmere has long been celebrated as one of the premier listening rooms for music lovers, and it became the recent setting for an evening of roots music magic. Featuring Oliver Wood, the charismatic frontman of The Wood Brothers, and Langhorne Slim, the endlessly energetic folk-rock troubadour, this double-bill show delivered everything fans could hope for — soulful storytelling, electrifying energy, and heartfelt connection.
As a photographer, fortunate enough to capture the night’s performances, I found myself deeply moved by the artistry and the atmosphere, both of which came alive in the intimacy of the venue and the synergy between these two incredible artists.
