Parklife DC

Don’t Miss: Young Empires (Opening for Dragonette) @ U Street Music Hall, 11/25/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 24, 2015

Don’t Miss: Young Empires (Opening for Dragonette) @ U Street Music Hall, 11/25/15

Young Empires (Photo courtesy Young Empires)

Canadian trio Young Empires have a fondness for soaring world music and themes of redemption and elevation. They are a band in search of better things, and you have an opportunity to join their soulful exploration Wednesday night at U Street Music Hall.

Young Empires released their debut album, The Gates, on Sept. 4, and they are touring in support of it as openers for another Canadian trio, Dragonette.

On The Gates, Young Empires treat us to “Mercy,” a song calling for forgiveness; “So Cruel,” about the tortures of love; and “The Gates,” about the search for a higher place spiritually.

Watch the official music video for “The Gates” on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpHnwNUr1UQ]

Note the doors open at 6pm for this early show, and so be sure to get there early to allow vocalist and keyboardist Matthew Vlahovich, bassist Jacob Palahnuk, and drummer Taylor Hill elevate your spirit.

Tickets are available online and at the door.

Young Empires
(Opening for Dragonette)
U Street Music Hall
Wednesday, Nov. 25
Doors @6pm
$20
All ages

Music Park: The Ocean Blue @ Jammin’ Java — 11/21/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 23, 2015

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Music Park: The Ocean Blue @ Jammin’ Java — 11/21/15

The Ocean Blue perform at The Tractor Tavern in Seattle on Feb. 24, 2013. (Photo by David Lee)

The Ocean Blue embarked on an all-too-brief four-city tour last week to commemorate the remastering of their first three albums.

They only played in New York City, Philadelphia, DC metro, and Lancaster, Pa., as those were “their very favorite cities” where they first got their start, explained frontman David Schelzel at their local show on Saturday.

Last week, The Ocean Blue reissued their first three albums — The Ocean Blue, Cerulean and Beneath the Rhythm and Sound — on vinyl, and they embarked on a short tour to commemorate the occasion. It was an opportunity for the band to recapture their youth and play those cities they played early and often as a quartet from Hershey, Pa.

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Sports Park: Capitals Fortnightly Report Card — 11/9-11/22/15

Around Town

Jeremy Bailey

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November 23, 2015

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Sports Park: Capitals Fortnightly Report Card — 11/9-11/22/15

Fortnightly Record: 3-3 (7 pts)
Overall: 13-5-1 (27 pts)

The Capitals have got into the habit of losing one, winning one. All of their losses the last couple weeks have been by a single goal, so at least they’re competitive.

They are still in second place, five points behind the Rangers.

After a 4-game drought, Alex Ovechkin scored a goal in each of the last two games to up his total to 10 goals. He’s played in three fewer games than the league leader, Jamie Benn (14), so plenty of opportunity to catch up.

Braden Holtby continues to play extremely well, racking up a league leading 11 wins in only 896:15 total minutes on the ice.

Next up the Capitals finish off their 5-game homestand with three games at Verizon Center this week!

So check them out tonight (11/23), Wednesday (11/25) and Friday (11/27).

Results

November 10, 2015: Capitals at Red Wings – Loss (0-1)

November 12, 2015: Capitals at Flyers – Win (5-2)

November 13, 2015: Flames at Capitals – Loss (2-3 OT)

November 18, 2015: Capitals at Red Wings – Win (2-1 OT)

November 19, 2015: Stars at Capitals – Loss (2-3)

November 21, 2015: Avalanche at Capitals – Win (7-3)

November 9-November 22 Fortnightly Report Card: C+

2015-2016 Fortnightly Report Card Archive

Don’t Miss: Glen Hansard @ DAR Constitution Hall, 11/28/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 23, 2015

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Don’t Miss: Glen Hansard @ DAR Constitution Hall, 11/28/15

Glen Hansard (Photo courtesy Sacks & Co.)

Irish folk singer Glen Hansard is well-regarded for his groundbreaking role and performance in the movie Once, and thereafter as half of The Swell Season, and he recently released his second solo album, Didn’t He Ramble, via Anti- Records.

The new album has received very good reviews, with Rolling Stone comparing Glen to another Irish great: “Didn’t He Ramble evokes a feeling similar to one of Van Morrison’s Celtic-soul fever dreams, burnishing the prevailing sense of romantic fatalism with some low-key bravado on the standout track ‘Winning Streak’ (a kissing cousin to Bob Dylan’s early-Seventies’ chestnut ‘Forever Young’).”

Glen is touring in support of the new album, and he makes a stop in DC this Saturday, Nov. 28, at DAR Constitution Hall. (Hey, St. Louis, he’s at The Pageant tonight!)

Watch the official video for “Her Mercy” from the new album on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCxT0CnOq9s]

Don’t miss out on what is certain to be a moving show as Glen and his voice are at the top of their game. British folk artist Richard Thompson opens for Glen!

Tickets are available online.

Glen Hansard
w/ Richard Thompson
DAR Constitution Hall
Saturday, Nov. 28
Show @8pm
$38
All ages

Don’t Miss: Dragonette @ U Street Music Hall, 11/25/15

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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November 20, 2015

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Don’t Miss: Dragonette @ U Street Music Hall, 11/25/15

Dragonette (Photo by Mackenzie Duncan)

If you only know the collaborations between Martin Solveig and Dragonette, like “Hello” or “Big In Japan”, you’re in for a treat when Dragonette descends on DC at the U Street Music Hall on Wednesday, November 25th.

The night before Thanksgiving, it will be “Easy” to have a good time dancing to this Canadian synthpop band (from Toronto). Dragonette is Martina Sorbara (lead singer), Dan Kurtz (bass) and Joel Stouffer (drums).

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/16720586″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”150″ iframe=”true” /]
They recently released a video for the new song “Let The Night Fall”, an anthem of almost Katy Perry proportions about having fun and letting loose.

I think you should join them at U Street Music Hall.

Check out more of Dragonette’s music here.

Dragonette
w/ Avan Lava, Young Empires
U Street Music Hall
Wednesday, November 25
Doors @ 7:00pm
$20
All ages

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

Don’t Miss: Firefly Music Festival @ The Woodlands (Dover, Del.), 6/16-6/19/16

Live Review

Parklifer

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November 18, 2015

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Don’t Miss: Firefly Music Festival @ The Woodlands (Dover, Del.), 6/16-6/19/16

Ellie Goulding performs at the 2013 Firefly Music Festival on June 21, 2013. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Red Frog Events today announced the lineup for the 2016 Firefly Music Festival, to be held at The Woodlands in Dover, Del., on Thursday, June 16, through Sunday, June 19, 2016.

Returning even bigger for its fifth year, Firefly headliners will include Mumford & Sons, Kings of Leon, Florence & The Machine, and Deadmau5.

“We wanted the 2016 lineup to reach a wide audience while resonating with our core Firefly community,” said Christiane Pheil, Talent and Experience Director at Firefly Music Festival. “We’re confident this lineup does just that, and we look forward to celebrating our fifth year with music fans from around the world.”

Other prominent musicians performing at the four-day music festival include Ellie Goulding, Disclosure, Blink-182, Death Cab for Cutie, M83, Tame Impala, The 1975, A$AP Rocky, Of Monsters and Men, Major Lazer, and Chvrches (my personal favorite on this list).

Early bird general admission and VIP passes go on sale this Friday, Nov. 20.

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Music Park: Rachael Yamagata @ 9:30 Club — 11/12/15

Live Review

Jeremy Bailey

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November 17, 2015

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Music Park: Rachael Yamagata @ 9:30 Club — 11/12/15

Rachael Yamagata (Photo by Laura Crosta)

You know you’re in for an interesting evening when Rachael Yamagata and her five-member band walk on stage accompanied by an instrumental rendition of Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing In the Name Of”. The incongruity is enough to make you smile (and nod along), as many of Rachael’s songs are actually about break-ups, and sadness and moving on, with sultry, piano-driven melodies. But maybe in using Rage’s song you could find a deeper nod to the current state of our country.

Rachael Yamagata, born in Arlington, Virginia, played a full range of atmospheric and melancholy laced songs for the intimate 9:30 Club crowd on Thursday, November 12th.

She is working on her next album, due in 2016, and as she told us, “The new record is super close. It’s a positive record, so you’re going to think, ‘What happened to her? She got happy.'”

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Don’t Miss: Shopping @ Black Cat, 11/17/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 17, 2015

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Don’t Miss: Shopping @ Black Cat, 11/17/15

Shopping (Photo by Jenna Foxton)

Hey, everyone, at this very moment, I’m in New York City. That’s great because I love visiting New York.

But it’s also bad because I’m missing likely one of the best shows in DC all year! London trio Shopping are holding down a double-bill with our very own Priests! Wow, I wish I could be there. But you can still go because the show is tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Black Cat.

You likely know hometown punk quartet Priests. They are a pretty exciting band that makes some good music. We reviewed them when they were at Black Cat previously.

You may not know UK post-punkers Shopping, who awesomely capture a lot of great things about punk and post-punk music in short ditties of powerful melodic virtue.

Shopping released their second album, Why Choose, via FatCat, in October, and they are touring the United States in support of that release.

Coming together in 2012, guitarist Rachel Aggs, bassist Billy Easter, and drummer Andrew Milk do an amazing job of capturing the spirit of The Slits, X-Ray Spex, and a great deal of DEVO (as well as the lighter side of The Gang of Four).

Be blown away by the sardonic vocals and brilliant guitar riffs of single “Straight Lines” from the new album (and try to ignore the naked women) via YouTube:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8kkAl64I9s]

Shopping are proving prolific with the release of their debut album, Consumer Complaints, only last year! They and Priests are going to make quite a team tonight. Puff Pieces open for the bands.

Tickets are available online and at the door.

Shopping and Priests
w/ Puff Pieces
Black Cat
Tuesday, Nov. 17
Doors @730pm
$15
All ages

Don’t Miss: The English Beat @ 9:30 Club, 11/25/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 17, 2015

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Don’t Miss: The English Beat @ 9:30 Club, 11/25/15

Dave Wakeling (Photo by Bryan Kremkau)

The English Beat are perennial favorites in the DC metro area. They turned up at the State Theatre not long ago, and now they have a show slated for the 9:30 Club.

But wait! Not only are the [English] Beat hitting our premiere concert destination on Wednesday, Nov. 25, they also are preparing to release a new album, tentatively titled Here We Go Love! The ska/reggae collective famously published three albums in the early ‘80s, and they haven’t released a new studio album since Special Beat Service in 1982.

Special Beat Service, of course, spawned some of the English Beat’s greatest hits, such as “I Confess” and “Mirror in the Bathroom,” fueling the capability of Dave Wakeling and company to continuously tour the world for years.

Watch the official video for “Mirror in the Bathroom” on YouTube:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cbUW2EY4KE]

If you haven’t seen the English Beat in a while, or somehow you have never done so (you saved it for later?), this is a perfect opportunity to see them. After all, they are playing the night before a holiday, so you have all of the time in the world to beat to the Beat.

Tickets are available online!

The English Beat
9:30 Club
Wednesday, Nov. 25
Doors @7pm
$25
All ages

Music Park: The Charlatans @ Howard Theatre — 11/12/15

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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November 16, 2015

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Music Park: The Charlatans @ Howard Theatre — 11/12/15

The Charlatans perform a surprise show at Glastonbury 2015 on June 26, 2015. (Photo by Paul Carless)

Tim Burgess is the man who never ages!

Since the UK vocalist founded his band The Charlatans, he’s always had an air of pleasant youthfulness about him — and it simply hasn’t gone away in the 25 years since The Charlatans released their first album, Some Friendly, which produced the monster hit “The Only One I Know.” Much earlier this year, the band released its 12th studio record, Modern Nature, and undertook a US tour in support of it, including a stop at the Howard Theatre on Thursday, Nov. 12.

Tim didn’t disappoint the ardent audience that turned up for the gig at the Howard. With his classic blonde mop haircut, sunny vibes, and carefree attitude, he invited everyone to dance and sing along with him as The Charlatans (commonly and somewhat unnecessarily known also as The Charlatans UK) bounced through 18 songs that capture Britpop at its catchiest, even if the setlist was heavy on the new songs.

New songs like “Let the Good Times Be Never Ending” capture The Charlatans at their best with an overtly ’60s psychedelic tone preferred by some of the best Britpoppers. Tim’s voice is as pleasing as ever, and the band really comes together with some very strong material. In concert at the Howard, bassist Martin Blunt was a standout performer, bringing tremendously relaxed confidence to every song he played.

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