Parklife DC

Music Park: Destroy. Rebuild. by The Jet Age — 8/28/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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July 2, 2015

Music Park: Destroy. Rebuild. by The Jet Age — 8/28/15

The Jet Age (Photo courtesy Big Hassle)

With today’s focus on happy dance music or sweeping reflective ballads, it’s sometimes hard to find an accessible indie rock band with a wider message.

Enter The Jet Age, flying into your ears with a fleet of guitars built on styles from the ‘90s and ponderous lyrics reacting to the events of today in their sixth LP, Destroy. Rebuild., scheduled for release on August 28 from Sonic Boomerang Records.

In 2014, the death of Eric Garner in custody of the New York Police Department, and his last words “I can’t breathe,” sparked national protests and serve as the inspiration for a song on the album titled after the famous quote. And first single “Don’t Make A Sound” romanticizes the notion that “things can change if we want them to” because “Times like this I think we can do anything.”

Listen to tracks from Destroy. Rebuild. by The Jet Age, and preorder the album on Bandcamp:

[bandcamp width=350 height=470 album=834885334 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false]

Although The Jet Age are a DC trio led by singer-songwriter Eric Tischler, the band will debut the album at a release party on August 29-30 in Brighton, England, as part of the At the Edge of the Sea Festival, hosted by The Wedding Present. It’s rather appropriate that The Jet Age team up with the UK jangle-pop icons, as the two bands have toured extensively together in the past and The Wedding Present often are cited as a major influence on The Jet Age.

Eric and bandmates bassist Greg Bennett and drummer Pete Nuwayser recorded the new album in closed sessions in Eric’s DC home studio, and the album reflects that intimacy.

“We recorded all the basic tracks live in the same room,” Eric said in a press release. “It was awesome, because everyone could maintain eye contact, no one needed headphones and there was just enough bleed to glue it all together.”

Regarding the themes of the album, Eric added, “The flip side of all this depressing crap—including watching some other couples around me go down in flames—is that it’s really renewed my appreciation for the ways in which my wife and kids provide a port in the storm so, yeah, it’s about relationships, it’s about the country, it’s about the band.”

The Jet Age haven’t announced any upcoming local shows yet, but keep your eyes open on their Facebook page.

Meanwhile, give the new album a listen, and see if you too are inspired to Destroy. Rebuild.

Music Park: Basement Jaxx @ 9:30 Club — 6/30/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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July 1, 2015

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Music Park: Basement Jaxx @ 9:30 Club — 6/30/15

Simon Ratcliffe and Felix Buxton of Basement Jaxx (Photo courtesy Atlantic Jaxx)

Felix Buxton of Basement Jaxx centered a rare live show for Americans Tuesday night, standing on stage behind his impressive array of synthesizers as madcap music and melodies unfolded around him at the 9:30 Club.

Clad as a hip wizard of synth, Felix took the stage alone toward the end of the show for an instrumental break beginning with the track “Buffalo” from the most recent Basement Jaxx album, Junto — released last summer. His mix concluded with a flourish and Handel’s “Zadak the Priest (Coronation Anthem for George II)” as performed by the Ambrosian Singers. At this point in the show, I’m completely impressed and chuckling to myself at something I would consider a Pet Shop Boys-level of synthesizer style.

Only a few songs later, the London house maestro takes to the front of the stage to dance and sing out the lyrics to “Where’s Your Head At?” in delightfully frenetic fashion, closing out the main set of the Basement Jaxx show with the 2001 U.S. dance chart topper.

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Music Park: Kopecky @ U Street Music Hall — 6/26/15

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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July 1, 2015

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdu5n0sDNw8] “Quarterback” by Kopecky

The USA was in a good mood last Friday, 6/26. A landmark decision, so why not a landmark celebration?

Kopecky, in a fine mood themselves, gave the celebration-ready audience at U Street Music Hall more than they could ask for.

When the final song of Kopecky’s set pealed from the stage and the crowd sang along with the perfect refrain for the day “Don’t tell me that you love me! Just tell me that you want me!”, from Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk”, there was little more that could have been done. Except stay to listen to The Shadowboxers. If you had the energy.

To appreciate the end, let’s go back to the beginning.

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 (United States v. Windsor) that same-sex marriage was legal in all 50 states. Many celebrated.

The Walking Sticks opened the night at UHall and charmed many (could just be me) with songs like “Send the Night” and “One Sweet Thing”. We got want we wanted.

Kopecky started the celebration as audience members, enjoying lead singer Chelsea Lee and The Walking Sticks, before re-materializing on stage for a sound check.

They began their set with the groovy “My Love” and whistled to the tune of ‘Are You Listening’. We were indeed, listening.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iVhIZWZWyU]

Then they played their latest single, “Quarterback”, which could be something Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend might sing.

Kopecky, an indie-rock band formed in Nashville, released their second full length album, Drug for the Modern Age, in May.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/playlists/105662759″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”200″ iframe=”true” /]

Listening to their 11-song set, and comparing it to the many new songs they played from the album, it was easy to like their rock and pop sound both live and recorded.

Co-founders Kelsey Kopecky and Gabe Simon met at Belmont University (Nashville) in 2007 and started The Kopecky Family Band. Certainly not because the members share no familial relation, they later shortened the name to Kopecky.

On to another new song, “Real Life”, where Kelsey shouted, “This song is about dancing!”. So we did. There was no stopping this crowd.

The energy level continued to rise as they played the toe-tapping, “Heartbeat”, before finally taking us out with the aforementioned “Tusk”.

When it was over, I could have pleaded, “Why don’t you ask them if they’re going to stay?” in my best Lindsey Buckingham voice (since I don’t have one, I refrained).

Kopecky was fun and enjoyable. And worth celebrating with. Thanks Nashville.

Music Park: Exit Vehicles’ Album Release Party @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 7/3/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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July 1, 2015

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Music Park: Exit Vehicles’ Album Release Party @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 7/3/15

Exit Vehicles (Photo courtesy the band)

DC rockers Exit Vehicles perform at an album release party at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday, July 3, to debut their first album STAGES.

The band is streaming the new album on Soundcloud. Go listen:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/users/58983468″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

We at ParklifeDC caught Exit Vehicles at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Jan. 16, 2015, and we shared some thoughts:

“Hands down, the most memorable thing about DC’s Exit Vehicles is the sensation that you are literally seeing double as one of the Brothers Polon are performing on each side of the stage. The twins Brian and Adam are dead ringers for one another, and Brian is playing guitar and Adam is playing bass? Or is Adam playing guitar and Brian bass? (It is Adam on bass, I’m assured.)

Thankfully, frontman Brian Easley keeps you grounded. He displays a loose rock-and-roll spirit, and he’s comfortable chatting with the audience.”

We added that songs such as “Like a Record” and “Face Behind” (both on the new album) consistently give off a good groove while the guitars are shimmery and the drums are snappy.

Join Exit Vehicles for their album release party with openers Rom and TONE. Tickets are available online and at the door.

Exit Vehicles Album Release Party
w/ Rom and TONE
Rock and Roll Hotel
Friday, July 3
Doors @8pm
$12
All ages

Don’t Miss: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo @ Warner Theatre, 7/8/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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June 29, 2015

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Don’t Miss: Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo @ Warner Theatre, 7/8/15

Neil Giraldo and Pat Benatar, husband and wife rock gods (Photo courtesy Webster PR)

I was an unabashed MTV kid, and I absorbed as much music as I could through the heydey of the music video channel.

That music came in various stripes, such as the hard rockin’ Pat Benatar, who debuted as the second video ever on MTV with “You Better Run” from her 1980 album Crimes of Passion.

“We now call that album ‘Crimes of Fashion,'” quipped Neil Giraldo, the longtime husband and guitar player of the “Invincible” songbird, holding up the album’s back cover at a concert I attended many moons ago.

Now more than 35 years on, Pat and Neil Giraldo have become perhaps the happiest couple in show business, and certainly one of the most dynamic, between her indefatigable voice and his irrepressible guitar chops. In fact, the duo launched a 35th anniversary tour in 2014, and they bring that tour to the Warner Theatre on Wednesday, July 8.

Watch these amazing musicians perform a set of three songs — 1979’s “We Live for Love,” 1984’s “We Belong,” and 1981’s “Promises in the Dark” — for an NPR Tiny Desk Concert on Nov. 25, 2014.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxteG1thK5I]

As you can see, Pat and Neil sound even better with age. The tour setlist promises a lineup of classics, although I’m also an admirer of her last studio album, 2003’s “Go,” which I felt was critically underrated! Anyway, the show certainly will feature many longtime favorites, perhaps including “Shadows of the Night,” “Hit Me with Your Best Shot,” “Love Is a Battlefield,” and many others.

Speaking of “Love Is a Battlefield,” the song is the subject of the latest in an excellent retrospective series of videos the duo have been doing in honor of their 35th anniversary.

Watch Neil and Pat discuss how the song came to take shape:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oeNbhl64BM]

And don’t miss them in what is sure to be a terrific show at the Warner Theatre on July 8.

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo
Warner Theatre
Wednesday, July 8
Show @8pm
$43-$93
All ages

Around Town: Get Ready for July Part 2

Jeremy Bailey

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June 29, 2015

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DC, so much to do in July!

From Dave Grohl celebrating 20 years of Foo Fighters, to the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg bobblehead night, to the start of Screen on the Green, there are infinite options to keep you occupied this month. See Part 1 of this list here.

Music
Just a few of the many concerts we like in July.

Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary Blowout @ RFK Stadium, 7/4/15
Enjoy the 4th of July with Dave Grohl and gang, along with Heart, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, LL Cool J, and more.

Metric and Imagine Dragons @ Verizon Center, 7/6/15

Mudhoney @ Black Cat, 7/7/15

Little Boots @ U Street Music Hall, 7/25/15

Friday Night Concert Series @ Yards Park – July

Almost Journey (Journey Tribute), 7/3/15
Hand Painted Swinger (Pop Hits), 7/10/15
Wesley Spangler (Crossover Country), 7/17/15
Justin Trawick (Indie Folk Rock), 7/24/15
White Ford Bronco (’90’s Covers), 7/31/15

Sports
Nationals’ Home Games @ Nationals Park
The Nats are hot. It’s not a weather thing. Take yourself out to the ballgame. Get a bobblehead.

vs. Gaints, 7/3-7/5/15 (Strasburg bobblehead alert, 7/5)
vs. Reds, 7/6-7/8/15
vs. Dodgers, 7/17-7/19/15
vs. Mets, 7/20-7/22/15

Movies and Shows
Screen On the Green @ The National Mall
The Screen on the Green kicks off another season with a few classic movies.

North By Northwest, 7/20/15
Poseidan Adventure, 7/27/15

Book of Mormon @ The Kennedy Center – July
Laugh. Be offended. Or both. A must see while it’s still in DC!

Don’t Miss: PINS @ DC9, 6/29/15

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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June 29, 2015

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmJ95BHnRxc]

PINS, hailing from Manchester, UK, is a all-women rock band coming to DC to, well, rock you.

The band consists of singer/guitarist Faith Holgate, guitarist Lois McDonald, bassist Anna Donigan and drummer Sophie Galpin.

The PINS recently opened for Sleater-Kinney during the UK leg of their tour. Now they make the jump to the US for a short tour of their own.

Clearly because they are bold and emphatic, they spell their name in ALL CAPS. Their sound is rock and punk and should make for an entertaining live show.

Let’s see if they live up to the billing tonight at DC9.

Tickets are available online still and at the door. Get yours before the show sells out.

PINS
w/ Beverly
DC9
Monday, June 29
Doors 8:30pm, Show 9:00pm
$12
All ages

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7TcdGIXSGo]

Around Town: Get Ready for July Part 1

Jeremy Bailey

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June 26, 2015

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July is shaping up to be an incredibly busy month with no dearth of things to do beyond the 4th of July weekend. In the DC heat. No rest allowed.

Here are just a few of the many options you can consider:

Happy Hours
Happy Hour with Indiana Jones @ National Geographic Museum, 7/8/15
See the Indiana Jones exhibit after hours (6:00-8:00pm) and watch one of the Indiana Jones films (7:30pm).

Third Thursday After Hours Open House @ Smithsonian’s Freer and Sackler Galleries, 7/16/15
See the latest exhibit and the Peacock Room after hours.

Beer and Food Events

Truckaroo @ The Fairgrounds, 7/10/15
A food truck extravaganza near Nationals Park.

DC BRGR Bash @ Gateway Park, VA, 7/18/15
Who can cook up the best burger and unseat last year’s winner, Willow Restaurant?

Brew at the Zoo @ The National Zoo, 7/23/15
Drink beer. See animals. Simple.

Classes
REI Outdoor Classes @ Wunder Garten in NoMa – July
Learn about camping and backpacking and join yoga and running groups.

Music, sports and movies continued in Part 2

Don’t Miss: Kopecky @ U Street Music Hall, 6/26/15

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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June 25, 2015

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Kopecky

Kopecky, an indie-rock band from Nashville, hits the U Street Music Hall on Friday, 6/26/15.

They released their second album in May, Drug for the Modern Age, with the single “Quarterback”, that has a bit of a Vampire Weekend flavor mixed in.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdu5n0sDNw8]

They started in 2007 as The Kopecky Family Band. Vocalists Kelsey Kopecky (keyboards, bass) and Gabe Simon (guitar, horns) lead the way with a range of rock, pop and groove laden songs.

Repeated listens will get your head nodding and toe tapping, especially to the songs “Are You Listening” and “Heartbeat”.

[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/kopeckymusic/are-you-listening” params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]

Additional members include; Steven Holmes (guitar, lap steel guitar), David Krohn (drums), Markus Midkiff (cello, guitar and keyboards), and Corey Oxendine (bass, guitar and horns).

Come out to UHall on Friday and catch them live. It should be a good time.

They co-headline with The Shadowboxers.

Kopecky
w/ The Shadowboxers and The Walking Sticks
U Street Music Hall
Friday, June 26
Doors 6:30pm
$15
All ages

Excursion: Capital Hiking Club @ Dellinger Gap, WV — 6/20/15

Excursion

Parklifer

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June 24, 2015

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Excursion: Capital Hiking Club @ Dellinger Gap, WV — 6/20/15

Hiking with Capital Hiking Club

I’ve done many hikes over the years with Capital Hiking Club. With over 20 hikes since 2009 to choose from, none were more interesting than the one on June 20, 2015.

Capital Hiking Club has been organizing hikes for 77 years. Every Saturday, regardless of season or weather, they host a hike, most often in Virginia or Maryland. You catch the bus in DC (or designated Metro stops in VA or MD), ride to the hike location, trek one of the two trail options, drink beer and eat snacks at the end, and drive back. It’s a good way to meet people and a great option to explore the surrounding area if you don’t have a car.

Within the last couple years, they moved their sign-ups to Meetup.com, to make the process more efficient and easier to manage for the hike organizers.

I highly recommend checking it out if you like to hike.

Capital Hiking Club
Virginia, Maryland and DC
Saturday (Weekly)
8:00am (bus pick-up in DC)
$25 members ($28 non-members)

Trip Report – Dellinger Gap to Trout Pond Recreation Area, West Virginia — 6/20/15

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