International punk band Gogol Bordello soon hits the road for the group’s infamous annual holiday shows, including a performance at Baltimore Soundstage on Sunday, Dec. 29.
Legendary blues rocker Jon Spencer — along with Grace Bergere from the band’s label Casa Gogol Records — join as support in Baltimore.
During the intermission at Gillian Welch and David Rawling’s recent performance at Capitol One Hall, I heard an interesting point: Artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce need “33 trucks” to put on their massive shows, but Welch and Rawlings can command an audience with just their voices and acoustic instruments. Granted, Taylor and Beyonce are playing stadiums, but the point still holds: For their two sets at Capitol One Hill, it was just Gillian and David and bassist Paul Kowart.
The Los Angeles League of Musicians: The name’s impossible to forget, and so is the sound this three-piece instrumental group is stirring to make itself one of the most talked about acts from either coast.
More commonly known in abbreviated form as LA LOM, it’s comprised of guitarist Zac Sokolow, electric and upright bass player Jake Faulkner, and drummer and percussionist Nicholas Baker. Without a word, these three have amassed a following on streaming platforms and drawn the attention of careful listeners — and music media — far and wide.
There’s something about the Norwegian artist Aurora that makes her connection with a crowded theater feel effortless. Over the past few years, I’ve seen Aurora Aksnes, who goes by simply Aurora, become increasingly more popular. In fact, her recent performance at The Anthem on was completely packed. Many fans in attendance wore elaborate costumes or were dressed like Aurora herself, but I think the most welcoming sight was the sheer range of concert goers in age, gender, and background.
Acclaimed Louisiana Bayou Blues guitarist Tab Benoit and his acclaimed I Hear Thunder 2024 Tour continues touring the USA, performing locally in Alexandria at The Birchmere on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Don’t let the title of this piece fool you, every show I attended in 2024 was a favorite! For our purposes, though, I mainly chose artists that were new to me, while acknowledging a couple of longtime favorites. “Discovering” new music has been a powerful motivator for photographing shows for Parklife DC. As I become more enmeshed in the music scene in Bellingham, Washington, those opportunities to experience new musical artists have grown considerably.
Welsh guitarist Andy Bell is rumored to be joining the reunion of Oasis in 2025, recommitting to a big arena group that is sure to break some records when they hit the road. Meanwhile, however, Bell has been doing some wonderful work as one of the two frontmen of his very good original group, Ride, which released a new album of fine shoegazing earlier this year.
Ride recently performed at 9:30 Club on a North American tour in support of the album, titled Interplay, the third record by the band since they themselves reunited 10 years ago.
DC’s own Oh He Dead recently performed at Capital One Hall, and Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show.
Welcome to the 2024 Thrushie Awards!
Parklife DC will name the best local band, music festival, and venue of the year with your input. Write-in candidates are welcome in all categories. Parklife DC will honor DC bands and venues with our annual Thrushie Awards program, named for our mascot, DC’s own state bird — the Wood Thrush.
A best local DC band must perform in the continuum of indie rock clubs that we cover around the metro area, and they must have released new music in the past year.
The Thrushie Awards are open to DC-area music festivals. These festivals are in the National Capital Region, and often they occur annually.
The Thrushie Awards are open to DC-area music venues that host touring bands. These venues must be occupied by its owner-operator and not a “for-rent” concert hall operated by an independent agent.
Learn more about each nominee by clicking on their name in keywords.
As always, our Thrushie Awards are inspired by our mission to review live music concerts and spotlight bands and concert halls covered by Parklife DC. Voting for Thrushies runs through Wednesday, Dec. 11, at midnight, and you get to vote for your favorite DC band, festival, and concert hall!
In a bittersweet send off (for now) to Rams Head Live! in Baltimore, local hard rock heroes Clutch recently took to the stage to deliver a performance for the ages.
As fans lined up at both entrances to the venue, there was a feeling that this was the end of a long road. Back in September, it was announced that Rams Head Live! was closing its doors for the foreseeable future. There has been chatter that the spot where the venue sits would remain a live music venue, but there’s no real word on that as of this writing.
