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Don’t Miss: Best Coast (with Wavves) @ 9:30 Club, 2/16/16

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Best Coast - Janell Shirtcliff - General 1 - HIGH RES (2)Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno of Best Coast (Photo courtesy of Press Here Publicity)

Best Coast, co-headlining with Wavves, come to the 9:30 Club on Tuesday, February 16 for their Summer is Forever II Tour. The first Summer is Forever Tour was held in 2011.

Best Coast, formed in 2009 and composed of singer/songwriter/guitarist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist Bobb Bruno, play indie rock by way of Southern California. And of course their name symbolizes how the West Coast is best. Sorry DC.

Bethany Cosentino’s voice has a certain melancholy undercurrent and purity of sound that often reminds me of Neko Case. They also list artists like The Go Gos, Gwen Stefani and Patsy Cline as influences.

Best Coast recently released their third album, California Nights, with infectious songs like, “In My Eyes” and “Feeling Ok”.

Bethany describes the rationale behind the album title, “In LA, or maybe just personally to me, when the sun sets – I feel like there is a large sense of calmness in the air, and I feel like everything that happened to me prior in the day, whether crappy experiences or good ones, at night, it all goes away and I sink deep into this different kind of ‘world’.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MDWtSf_AI4]
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/114888199″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]

Come out to the 9:30 Club and give the Summer is Forever II Tour a listen. Tickets are available here.

Get excited that Summer is coming in the Winter.

Best Coast & Wavves
w/ Cherry Glazerr
9:30 Club
Tuesday, February 16
Doors @ 7:00pm
$30
All ages

Music Park: Woody Woodmansey’s Holy Holy @ Birchmere — 1/14/16

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Glenn Gregory (foreground) and Tony Visconti put their souls into a performance of Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Midway through a concert performance at The Birchmere on Thursday, Tony Visconti paused to share a memory of his time playing bass for David Bowie with the very full house.

Doing a warm impersonation of David’s famous voice, Tony recalled how Bowie instructed him to play like Jack Bruce, the Scottish bass player known for his work with Cream. Tony impressed Mr. Bowie well enough, and he joined up with drummer Woody Woodmansey and guitarist Mick Ronson to form a Bowie backing band that most famously performed on the Bowie album The Man Who Sold the World (TMWSTW).

Woody was the heart of that operation, and Mick the soul, Tony said. “But the brains and the beauty and the creativity was a great man who left us recently — Mr. David Bowie.”

Sports Park: Capitals Fortnightly Report Card — 1/4-1/17/16

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Washington Capitals Report Card

 

Fortnightly Record: 6-1 (12 pts)
Overall: 34-8-3 (71 pts)

Justin Williams punctuated the Capitals 5-2 victory over the hated Rangers on Sunday, with a hat trick. Only his second hat trick of his career. Williams has been a great pick-up for the Caps this year, second only to Alex Ovechkin in goals scored (16) and 4th on the team in total points (31).

Braden Holtby (Goalie) also left the game with dehydration, but seems like he’ll back and just fine.

The Capitals own a jaw-dropping 17 point lead over the New York Islanders in the Metropolitan Division. The lead just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

They had another 5-game winning streak, snapped in Buffalo, and managed to win six out of the last seven.

The Capitals are playing lights out. Almost no one can beat them. The only thing left to wonder, at just over halfway through the season, is if they can sustain this pace into the post-season. They have been notorious at not meeting expectations in recent years.

But…rather than dwell on that too much now, let’s enjoy the ride, because it will be fast and furious.

The Capitals next play Tuesday, January 19 at Columbus. Then they have the perfect remedy for the cold in DC, a 5-game home stand. Among the teams they play include Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the Islanders.

 

Get your tickets to the five games here.

 

Results

January 5, 2016: Capitals at Bruins – Win (3-2)

January 7, 2016: Capitals at Islanders – Win (4-1)

January 9, 2016: Capitals at Rangers – Win (4-3 OT)

January 10, 2016: Senators at Capitals – Win (7-1)

January 14, 2016: Canucks at Capitals – Win (4-1)

January 16, 2016: Capitals at Sabres – Loss (1-4)

January 17, 2016: Rangers at Capitals – Win (5-2)

 

January 4-January 17 Fortnightly Report Card: A-

 

2015-2016 Fortnightly Report Card Archive

Grapevine: Map of Breweries In and Near DC? Check.

Brewery Locations

 

Because I think this list of 70 breweries in and around DC is cool, I re-post this article.

From the Washingtonian: “DC has the second-most breweries of any East Coast metropolitan area.”

 

Let’s drink.

Sports Park: Where to Watch the NFC Football Playoff Games in DC Part 2, 1/16-1/17/16

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NFL Playoffs 2016Playoffs? You’re still talking about the playoffs?

Next up is the Division Round of the NFL Playoffs this Saturday and Sunday.

Last weekend, there were some crazy finishes. And you really have to feel bad for the Bengals (most of them) and Vikings fans…both heartbreaking ways to lose.

And well, the Redskins had a chance until the 4th quarter, but then they let Aaron Rodgers be the elite QB he is. A 35-18 loss isn’t the end of the world, especially when you can get over 80,000 people to watch a game in person after having very low expectations this season. Kirk Cousins is looking good and with a decent defense and a serious playmaker in Jordan Reed (TE), they could easily be back in the playoffs next year and do even more damage.

Where can you watch the crop of games this weekend? I’m going to continue to focus on the NFC teams.

 

NFC – Division Round – Saturday

#5 Green Bay Packers at #2 Arizona Cardinals
Saturday, January 16 at 8:15pm

Packers: Wear your cheesehead hat and watch the Packers at Hamilton’s Bar and Grill (233 2nd St NW). Other watch parties usually happen at Duffy’s and Lost and Found. Find all Packers’ viewing bars across the country here.

Cardinals: Wear your red and watch the Cardinals at Crystal City Sports Pub (529 23rd Street South Arlington, VA 22202). This is inconclusive, as it seems Cardinals fans are elusive and hard to find in this city. I do know that Arizona State University alumni go to Penn Social for their college football games.

 

NFC – Division Round – Sunday

#6 Seattle Seahawks at #1 Carolina Panthers
Sunday, January 17 at 1:05pm

Seahawks: Wear your blue and watch the Seahawks at Acre 121 (1400 Irving St NW). Other watch parties usually happen at Solly’s and Penn Quarter Sports Tavern. Find the DC Seahawks fan page here.

Panthers: Wear your light blue and silver and watch the Panthers at Lucky Bar (1221 Connecticut Ave NW).

You may also want to check out the Capital Riot fan site, which is for the Panthers’ local fan base in DC. They look legit! http://capitalriot.com/

 

Note: If you have better suggestions on locations, please leave a comment.

P.S. For you Steelers fans…Go Peyton and the Broncos!

Don’t Miss: Time Is Fire @ DC9, 1/28/16 @ Comet Ping Pong, 3/5/16

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Time Is Fire perform at The Howard Theatre on April 20, 2015. (Photo by Kay Said/Courtesy Time Is Fire)

Back in July, I went to the Black Cat to check out the noir cinema pop of Brooklyn band KATIEE. However, like everyone else there, I was rather stunned by the opening act, DC psych quartet Time Is Fire.

The four men in Time Is Fire cite DC punk as an influence on their band, and occasionally they marry some post-punk guitar structures to their upbeat musical style. However, when they really get rolling, they become a full-blown psychedelic jam ready to enthusiastically throw down as a wandering dance party all by themselves.

Sometimes frontman Kamyar Arsani sings in English and sometimes Farsi, and the instruments in the band tend to move with him from more traditional rock to hazy Middle Eastern rhythms. It’s totally appropriate given that Kamyar is a daf player and Sufi poet who grew up in Tehran, where he absorbed both Western and Persian music. He is joined by drummer Jim Thomson (CSC Funk Band, Bio Ritmo, GWAR, Alter Natives), guitarist Matt Perrone (Alma Tropicalia), and bassist Ashish Vyas (Thievery Corporation, GoGoGo Airheart).

In November 2015, Time Is Fire released their self-titled debut EP, produced by Fugazi’s Brendan Canty, via Electric Cowbell. You can listen to the EP, and buy it, on Bandcamp:

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=300841830 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Time Is Fire really come alive in concert. When they play, they are fully in their own world, weaving a sort of hypnotic field, but they also enjoying themselves so fully that it’s downright infectious.

Watch the official music video for “Fetneh,” which really manages to capture the energy of Time Is Fire in performance:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8schvqYAq7Q]

The band have announced two shows in the coming months. They open for Social Station at DC9 on Thursday Jan. 28, and then they appear with Prince Rama and SISTR MD9IGHT in a lineup at Comet Ping Pong on Saturday, March 5. Tix for the DC9 show are available at the door; tix for the Comet Ping Pong show are available online.

It’s well worth your time to check them out!

Time Is Fire
Opening for Social Station
DC9
Thursday, Jan. 28
Doors @8pm
$8
All ages

Time Is Fire
w/ Prince Rama and SISTR MD9IGHT
Saturday, March 5
Doors @10pm
$12
All ages

Don’t Miss: Moogfest 2016, 5/19-5/22/16 (Part 1)

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Gary Numan will play three performances at Moogfest 2016, each dedicated to a different classic album. (Photo courtesy BB Gun)

Moogfest 2016: Initial Details Revealed!

In 2016, the top music festival for celebrating the synthesizer returns to North Carolina. Moogfest 2016, named for Dr. Bob Moog and his innovative synthesizers, will come to Durham, NC, from Thursday, May 19, to Sunday, May 22, 2016. In Durham, the festival will encompass 17 different venues across the core downtown area of the city.

This year’s festival, the 10th Moogfest, will feature headliners Gary Numan (for a three-night residency) and GZA (for two-night residency), as well as Odesza, Laurie Anderson, Oneohtrix Point Never, Suzanne Ciani, Blood Orange, and Sun Ra Arkestra, with keynotes by transhumanist pharma tycoon Dr. Martine Rothblatt and virtual reality pioneer Jaron Lanier.

Watch comedian Reggie Watts announce the lineup for Moogfest 2016:

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

The rest of the festival includes more than 100 music acts, such as Explosions in the Sky, Sunn O))), The Orb, Daniel Lanois, DJ Harvey, Tory Lanez, Robert Hood, Simian Mobile Disco, Ben Frost, Floating Points, King Mez, Kode9, Hundred Waters, Empress Of, Mad Professor, Mike Dean, Moses Sumney, Mac McCaughan, Lunice, Ryan Hemsworth, Tim Hecker, and YACHT!

Moogfest 2016 offers a range of activities for day and night. By day, festival-goers can explore tech and art with a conference consisting of panels, workshops, and displays. By night, revelers indulge in performances by synthpop pioneers and newcomers alike.

You can find a full list of performers at the Moogfest 2016 website.

If that doesn’t sound enticing enough yet, Laurie Anderson will host a daytime conversation as well as a night-time performance. Blood Orange will present a performance of future soul. Brian Eno protégé Daniel Lanois will experiment with ambient sounds. GZA leads the biggest hip hop presence at Moogfest ever with artists like Lunice, Tory Lanez, Denzel Curry, Dr. Dre protégé King Mez, and Well$.

Ryan Hemsworth brings together a crew of international DJ/producer friends for a kick-off party. And in a segment that is free and open to the public, DJ Lance Rock and Yo Gabba Gabba bring guest hosts Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO, Bootsy Collins, DJ Nanny Canteloupe, thereminist Dorit Chrysler, and others to celebrate electronic music for kids.

Tickets are available online.

Moogfest 2016
The City of Durham, NC
Thursday, May 19-Sunday, May 22, 2016
Exact schedule TBA
$249 General Admission; $499 VIP
$1,000 Engineer VIP includes two-day synth-building workshop
All ages

Around Town: Remembering David Bowie, 1/11/16

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If you are in DC mourning the passing of David Bowie, who died last night of cancer at age 69, consider joining one of these events to celebrate the life and legacy of the man.

Events honoring David Bowie in DC tonight, Monday, Jan. 11:

David Bowie (may you rest in peace)
DC9
5pm-2am
Free
21+

We would like to say our hearts are truly saddened by the loss of one of the greatest musicians and entertainers of our era. Our entire day is dedicated to David Bowie. Music will on our speakers will be some of most popular and other deep tracks from his catalogue that spans six decades.

David Bowie cocktails: We have a cocktail for each decade that he made music.

More info: http://dcnine.com/calendar/2016/01/11/david-bowie-2/

David Bowie Karaoke Tribute
Sticky Rice
8-11pm
Free
21+

Come celebrate the life of David Bowie by singing your heart out at Sticky Rice tonight. David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust will be sung throughout the evening. Costumes are welcome and encouraged. Sticky Rice will be providing the face paint but feel free to come come in full make up!!!!!

More info: https://www.facebook.com/events/582016841963426/

Music Park: Celebrate David Bowie @ Birchmere, 1/14/16

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David Bowie has died.

As tributes to a great man continue to fill the news, Bowie’s friends and bandmates from his early albums have confirmed that a previously scheduled show highlighting early Bowie albums like The Man Who Sold the World and Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars will go forward.

Drummer Woody Woodmansey, the man behind Bowie tribute band Woody Woodmansey’s Holy Holy, confirmed today his band will finish their current tour of the United States and Canada, including a stop at the Birchmere Music Hall in Alexandria, Va., on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016. The band includes Tony Visconti, one of Bowie’s dearest friends and producer of many of his albums, including his last several (such as the new album Blackstar, released Friday, Jan. 8).

Quoting Woody:

“I am in shock as is everyone else. Woken with the news in the early hours this morning as we are in Canada on tour. Myself and Tony Visconti with our band Holy Holy are here preparing for our 4th concert of our east coast USA/Canada tour, playing Toronto tomorrow night, It’s a huge personal loss, as I know it is for millions of fans worldwide. We’ve lost one of the world’s greatest artists, My thoughts are with his family at this time.

As for the shows, David always had the attitude that ‘the show must go on,’ hence Blackstar, so we want the fans to help us celebrate his life and music, that’s what he would have wanted. — love Woody”

I can think of no better way to celebrate Bowie’s life and legacy than to enjoy a great show by these extraordinary musicians, who will be accompanied by Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 on vocals.

Tickets are available online.

Woody Woodmansey’s Holy Holy
w/ Jessica Lee Morgan
Birchmere Music Hall
Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016
Show @730pm
$39.50
All ages

RIP, David Bowie, 1947-2016

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Aladdin Sane (Photo by Brian Duffy)

I only ever saw David Bowie in concert once.

David hit the Nissan Pavilion (now Jiffy Lube Live) on July 28, 2002, as part of a festival called Area 2, organized by Moby. David was promoting the album Heathen, which he toured extensively to support. It was a solid album, certainly, but if you’ll look at the setlist from that show, you’ll see it was a special show indeed to be able to see David perform some of his signature tunes.

He opened the show with a very favorite song, “Life on Mars,” which many people have misinterpreted as a literal statement, particularly given that Bowie was always fascinated with science-fiction and space: “Oh, hey, this song called ‘Life on Mars’ must be about life on other worlds.” But it wasn’t. It was a song about life among ourselves. It was not a song about an *alien*, but rather a song about *alienation.* The protagonists of the song are left to wonder why things have gone awry.

But her friend is nowhere to be seen/
Now she walks through her sunken dream/
To the seat with the clearest view/
And she’s hooked to the silver screen