Home Blog Page 564

Don’t Miss: Dark & Stormy @ Black Cat, 10/31/16

The Black Cat
Good times await at Black Cat on Halloween! (Photo by Kevin Harber)

It’s Halloween Day!

Many of us may have celebrated Halloween over the weekend, but there’s nothing quite like celebrating a holiday on the actual day of the day, right? But Halloween falls on a particularly peculiar day this year — a Monday! What ever happens on Monday?

Well, the Black Cat has an answer for you, my friend, with a special Halloween edition of Dark and Stormy, its electro, proto-goth dance party. The party gets a new twist as DJ Mike Kangal, who always did a great job with a related kind of thing as founding DJ at Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (still occurring over at Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar on H St. NE), takes over.

DJ Kangal only recently has taken over Dark and Stormy, so it’s hard to gauge exactly what he’s got up his sleeve. Here’s what the party says on its Facebook event page:

“Join DJ Mike Kangal for a night of dancing to your favorite electro, goth, industrial, and other dark dance sounds. Free promo CDs and other treats from Storming the Base and Metropolis Records!”

Well, sounds perfectly dark and stormy to us — and what better day to be so than on Halloween?

Get out to a rare Monday night dance party, and hit up Dark and Stormy. Mmmmm, that reminds us that a dark rum and ginger beer sounds pretty good too!

Hey, and if you were out on the weekend, this is a perfect opportunity to break out that costume one more time. Tickets are available at the door.

Dark & Stormy
Black Cat
Monday, Oct. 31
Doors @9pm
$5
All ages

Stars and Bars: Grand Re-opening @ Miracle on 7th Street, 11/25/16

Gretchen, Stop Trying to Make Fetch Happen by Joy Asico
A Christmas-themed cocktail: Gretchen, Stop Trying to Make Fetch Happen (Photo by Joy Asico)

Last Christmas, Derek Brown had an idea! A clever idea!

Derek got a wonderful, amazing idea!

(To be fair, he borrowed the idea from a friend in New York City.)

He would make Christmas even better! And so away he lept with Angie Fetherston and Drink Company and they magically transformed their bar Mockingbird Hill into the super-festival Miracle on 7th Street (named in equal parts for its address at 1843 7th St. NW, DC, and a movie about holiday shopping at the Macy’s department store, Miracle on 34th Street.)

Don’t Miss: Dilly Dally (Opening for Grouplove) @ Echostage, 11/9/16

0

Dilly Dally at Rough TradeDilly Dally at Rough Trade on January 6, 2016 (Photo Credit: Paul Hudson)

If you’re planning on hitting the Grouplove show on Wednesday, November 9th at Echostage, make a point to get there early and catch the opener, Dilly Dally.

Even if you don’t currently have designs on the Grouplove show, still give Dilly Dally a listen and see if that 1-2 punch doesn’t change your mind!

Dilly Dally’s latest EP is titled fkkt, a remix of many of their songs from their debut album, Sore.

These alternative rock Canadians (from Toronto) haven’t been around long, they released Sore in 2015 but band members Katie Monks and Liz Ball were first connected in high school. Some have likened their sound to Sonic Youth or Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but either way it’s loud and growly, yet manages to include a pop-like sound, as evidenced by “Desire”.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMrZi0whVpM]

Should be a good time for music discovery, so buy your tickets before it’s too late!

Dilly Dally (opening for Grouplove)
w/ Muna
Echostage
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
Doors 7pm
$44.45
All ages

Don’t Miss: Dan Croll @ 9:30 Club, 10/31/16

0

DanCroll_Communion
Dan Croll (Photo courtesy Communion Music)

Dan Croll likes things to be a little off-center, much like Norwegian siren Aurora, for whom he is opening at the 9:30 Club on Monday. (Aurora? Catch up with her in our preview of her show!)

The UK electronic folk artist sings in an agreeable manner, but he enjoys putting a bit of an uncomfortable twist on his work, such as in the video for his latest single “Swim,” released in August.

Watch the official music video for “Swim” by Dan Croll on YouTube, and see what I mean:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M34VETZL7uA]

Dan is an intriguing musician to watch, which is what makes it compulsive to come out early and see him at the 9:30 Club on Monday, Oct. 31. “Swim” is the first single from his upcoming second album, due in 2017 via Communion Music. Judging from the new song, Dan may be angling for more of an R&B sound than he employed in his debut album Sweet Disarray in 2014, but he’s always voiced admiration for approaching pop music from different angles.

Show up early for Dan Croll! Tickets are available online.

Dan Croll
Opening for Aurora
9:30 Club
Monday, Oct. 31
Doors @7pm
$20
All ages

Don’t Miss: SURVIVE @ U Street Music Hall, 10/28/16

0

Survive_by_Alex_Kacha
SURVIVE (Photo by Alex Kacha)

Austin-based electronic quartet Survive have been hard at work since 2009, releasing numerous EPs and two full-length albums.

But they achieved a significant level of visibility when two of its members, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, scored the synthpop soundtrack to Stranger Things, the sci-fi/horror/suspense show on Netflix that debuted last summer.

“The composers employed similar instrumentation that they use on their work with Survive, most notably the immediately recognizable hum of vintage Arp synthesizers,” noted Randall Roberts in a profile of the band in the Los Angeles Times over the summer.

Whoa! Those of us who got hooked on music through the sound of analog synthesizers in the ‘70s and ‘80s take heed! In the wake of the success of the Stranger Things soundtrack, Survive published their second full-length album, RR7349, on Sept. 30 via Relapse Records.

Buy or listen to RR7349 by Survive on Bandcamp:

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1991516250 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Now, Mark Donica, Kyle Dixon, Adam Jones and Michael Stein are touring in support of the new album, and they visit U Street Music Hall in DC tonight — Friday, Oct. 28.

The heady sounds of RR7349 cover a lot of ground and occasionally remind me of Vangelis as the four members of Survive explore sweeping, pulsing synthpop. “RR7349’s compositions range from grim tom-tom thunder to space-age epics, pairing tense plodding grooves with meditative ambience and driving, rhythmic beats,” said Relapse.

Renewed interest in Survive undoubtedly bolstered the band’s efforts to reissue their debut album, HD015 (or MQR026, originally released in 2012), due Nov. 18 via Holodeck Records.

And tonight experience Survive live! Tickets are available online and at the door.

SURVIVE
U Street Music Hall
Friday, Oct. 28
Doors @7pm
$15
All ages

Don’t Miss: Las Cafeteras (a Dia de Los Muertos Concert) @ American Indian Museum, 10/30/16

0

Las CafeterasLas Cafeteras (Photo courtesy of Las Cafeteras)

The LA-based chicano band, Las Cafeteras, performs free at the National Museum of the American Indian on Sunday, October 30th as part of the Mexican Dia de Los Muertos festival, featuring other performances, demos and artists. The Smithsonian Latino Center hosts the weekend-long festival.

Las Cafeteras will play at the museum’s Potomac Atrium at 3:30pm.

Las Cafeteras mix a variety of musical styles, new and old, for a unique blend of sounds and storytelling. Notably son jarocho, a folk music style from Veracruz, Mexico.

Watch them perform live at Seattle’s KEXP, including their infectious take on “La Bamba Rebelde”. And yes, that is a giant mandible doubling as a musical instrument!

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

The band members are Denise Carlos, Leah Gallegos, Daniel French, David Flores, Hector Flores and Jose Cano.

Las Cafeteras
National Museum of the American Indian
Sunday, October 30, 2016
3:30-4:30pm
Free
All ages

Don’t Miss: The Naked and Famous @ Lincoln Theatre, 11/15/16

0

The Naked and FamousThe Naked and Famous (Photo Credit: Samantha West)

The Naked and Famous bring their electronic beats and fiery rock energy to the Lincoln Theatre on November 15th.

Having released their third album, Simple Forms, just this October, they will be seeking to entertain us with the first single “Higher” and other great new tracks like “Laid Low” and “The Runners”.

The band originally formed in New Zealand, but relocated to Los Angeles in 2012. After their second album, they went through turmoil and were on hiatus for a time, before returning with a vengeance to produce Simple Forms in 2015 and 2016, forged through the pain and passion of heartbreak and strife.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCsyXSr7u-Q]

Of course, we can likely expect them to play their instantly recognizable hits from the first album, like “Young Blood” and “Punching in a Dream”, punctuated by Alisa Xayalith’s rich vocal range.

Certainly a show you don’t want to miss, as they haven’t toured in two years.

Buy your tickets here. Do it, it will feel good.

The Naked and Famous
w/ XYLØ, The Chain Gang of 1974
Lincoln Theatre
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Doors 6:30pm
$35
All ages

Don’t Miss: Duran Duran @ MGM National Harbor, 12/31/16 & 1/1/17

0

Simon Le Bon
Happy birthday to Simon Le Bon, singing above on Dec. 9, 2015. (Photo by Phil Guest)

Please please tell me now is there something I should know?

Well, today, Oct. 27, 2016, is the 58th birthday of Simon Le Bon, lead singer of the epic Duran Duran!

Cool! Anything else?

Why yes! Simon and his bandmates Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, and Roger Taylor have sprung a surprise return to the DC area to perform at the new MGM National Harbor on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Don’t Miss: Seu Jorge @ Howard Theatre, 11/8/16 & 12/13/16

0

SeuJorgeHighRes2
Seu Jorge as Pelé dos Santos in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (Photo courtesy The Howard Theatre)

In 2004, Brazilian singer and actor Seu Jorge appeared alongside Bill Murray, who just received the top US prize for humor this week, in a little independent film directed by Wes Anderson — The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Portraying sailor Pelé dos Santos, Seu stole the show with charming cover versions of David Bowie songs, including “Starman,” “Rebel Rebel,” “Rock & Roll Suicide,” “Life on Mars?,” and “Five Years.”

To say Seu’s covers were well received would be an understatement. They were a sensation! Seu followed up the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic by recording seven more Bowie songs and releasing an album in 2005 titled “The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions.”

The release of the album spurred David Bowie himself to say: “Had Seu Jorge not recorded my songs acoustically in Portuguese I would never have heard this new level of beauty which he has imbued them with.”

In the wake of Bowie’s passing in January, Seu Jorge is touring these covers as Seu Jorge Presents: “The Life Aquatic,” A Tribute to David Bowie. The show hits the Howard Theatre in DC twice — Tuesday, Nov. 8, and Tuesday, Dec. 13.

Watch Seu Jorge cover “Starman” by David Bowie in Portuguese in a scene from “The Life Aquatic” on YouTube:

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

Word on the street is that Seu’s first date, which is less than two weeks away, is all but sold out (a check last night revealed tickets still available). Grab your chance to see this enchanting show, certain to make you feel the way Bowie felt when he heard these songs reconfigured in Portuguese.

I don’t need to tell you that the world has been a dimmer place in its first year so far without David Bowie in it. What more comforting manner to reflect on his legacy than with someone like Seu, who had to understand the music so thoroughly so as to reinterpret it so wisely? I hope you’ll meet me at the Howard.

Tickets for Tuesday, Nov. 8, are available here through Ticketmaster.

Tickets for Tuesday, Dec. 13, are available here through Ticketmaster.

Seu Jorge
Seu Jorge Presents: “The Life Aquatic,” A Tribute to David Bowie
The Howard Theatre
Tuesday, Nov. 8
Tuesday, Dec. 13
Doors @6pm
$38.50-$191* (*meet and greet price)
All ages

 

Music Park: The Head and the Heart @ DAR Constitution Hall — 10/22/16

0

The Head and the HeartThe Head and the Heart (Photo Credit: James Minchin)

“We have Capri Sun backstage.” With that provocative come on, The Head and the Heart wooed the packed crowd at DAR Constitution Hall.

Moving amidst a stage peppered with potted plants and festooned with hanging white balls acting as lights, a homey setting that might have been an ode to their latest album cover, the band members clapped and stomped through their best songs for the eager spectators.