Parklife DC

Band of Skulls (Photo Credit: Andy Cotterill)

Tendrils of smoke drifted into the crowd as the three members of Band of Skulls took the main stage at the Black Cat on Tuesday, October 4th.

Amidst the dissipating smoke, they immediately started with “In Love By Default” from their new album, By Default. They played a mere four songs from that album, and all early on. The highlight of the new crop of songs is the upbeat “So Good”. Russell Marsden’s guitar intro grabbed you and gave us among the healthy-sized crowd a reason to move and nod their heads in unison. I’m still humming it now.

Don’t Miss: Switchfoot @ The Fillmore Silver Spring, 10/26/16

By

-

October 7, 2016

Tickets are available online.

Switchfoot (Photo by Robbie Jeffers)

Over the summer, San Diego rock quintet Switchfoot returned with their 10th studio album, Where the Light Shines Through, via Vanguard Records. Like LeBron James dashing down the court to a basket, Switchfoot slam dunked that album into the Billboard charts, where it reached #3 on the Rock, Alternative and Overall Digital Albums charts and #10 on the Billboard Top 200.

Well, of course, that called for a tour, and to sweeten the pot, Switchfoot teamed up with Relient K to launch the “Looking for America” tour. That tour has been underway, and it is set to hit the Fillmore Silver Spring on Wednesday, Oct. 26.

Watch the official music video for “Float,” the lead single from Where the Light Shines Through, by Switchfoot on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Euf3uk0QIaY]

Switchfoot have been remarkably consistent for the past 20 years, since its establishment by the brothers Jon and Tim Foreman. They are of course joined by Jerome Fontamillas (keys, guitar), Drew Shirley (guitar), and Chad Butler (drums), as they continue to produce uplifting power pop.

Switchfoot have found very appropriate tour partners in Relient K, who recently released their eighth record, Air for Free.

Switchfoot
w/ Relient K
Fillmore Silver Spring
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016
Doors @7pm
$33
All ages

Live Review: Midge Ure @ Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club — 10/4/16

By

-

October 7, 2016

Midge Ure performs at Bethesda Blues and Jazz on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016.

The magnificent Midge Ure brought passion and pathos to Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club on Tuesday, performing locally with a backing band for the first time in quite some time!

Early last year, Midge warmed our hearts in Bethesda on his Fragile Troubadour Tour, where he came only with an acoustic guitar in hand and songs in his heart. This time around, he was “Live and Electric” with the able assistance of drummer BC Taylor and guitarist Tony Solis, who also played keyboards.

Midge shined in a 75-minute set that covered highlights from his years as lead singer of Ultravox, as well as some of his solo hits and the ever-remarkable “Fade to Grey,” the famed UK #1 hit he wrote for his former band Visage. Midge’s voice soared with rich liveliness as he roared or whispered the words to the amazing, powerful songs that have become his signature.

DJ Park: Little Boots @ U Street Music Hall — 10/5/16

By

-

October 7, 2016

Little Boots (Photo courtesy High Rise PR)

English chanteuse Little Boots made a rare visit to DC this week, launching a DJ tour that keeps her in the United States for the rest of the month.

Despite her proclivity for pink, Little Boots is more than a pretty face! I have come to admire her ambition and her interest in all aspects of music production. Outside of three very smart full-length albums, the lady, born Victoria Hesketh, tours regularly as a deejay, and she owns her own label, On Repeat Records. And she’s a master of the synthesizer.

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Playoffs vs. the Dodgers, 10/7 & 10/8/16

By

Jeremy Bailey

-

October 6, 2016

Trea Turner can hit! (Photo Credit: Keith Allison)

Your Washington Nationals are in the Big Dance! The Major League Baseball playoffs got underway on Tuesday, October 4th with the Toronto Blue Jays beating the Baltimore Orioles (sorry, no bird puns today).

Now it’s time for the Nationals to show us what they’re made of, as they take on the Los Angeles Dodgers Friday, October 7th for Game 1 of the NL Division Series.

After six months of consistently good baseball, and a NL East Division crown, your Nationals are poised to actually do more good things in the post-season. They excelled despite a down year for Bryce Harper (.243 BA and 24 HRs after hitting .330/40 HRs in his MVP 2015 season) and late season injuries to Stephen Strasburg.

The stories of contributors are many, but Daniel Murphy (2B) put up a MVP-like season (.347 BA and 104 RBIs). Trea Turner (OF) came in and dominated at the plate the second half of the season (he helped me win my fantasy league…). While Max Scherzer could be the favorite to win another Cy Young Award with his 20-7 record, 2.96 ERA and 284 SOs.

Go Nats!

Division Series Schedule
10/7/16 – Dodgers @ Nationals (5:30pm)
10/8/16 – Dodgers @ Nationals (5:30pm)
10/10/16 – Nationals @ Dodgers (Time TBD)
10/11/16 – Nationals @ Dodgers (Time TBD) – if necessary
10/13/16 – Dodgers @ Nationals (Time TBD) – if necessary

Check for home tickets here, or look for resale options.

Snapshots: Warpaint @ 9:30 Club — 10/4/16

By

paivi

-

October 6, 2016

Warpaint performs at 9:30 Club on Oct. 4, 2016. (Photo by Paivi)

Warpaint returned to DC Tuesday to perform at the 9:30 Club on the heels of releasing their third full-length album, Heads Up, a few days earlier via RoughTrade.

Emily Kokal (vocals guitars), Theresa Wayman (vocals, guitars), Jenny Lee Lindberg (bassist), and Stella Mozgawa (drums) performed 18 songs, representing a healthy mix of tracks from across their career, according to Setlist.fm.

Around Town: Smithsonian Food History Weekend, 10/27-10/29/16

By

Jeremy Bailey

-

October 6, 2016

Kick the Food History Festival off right with “Cookies and Kindness with Dorie Greenspan” (Photo Credit: thethrillstheyyield)

The Smithsonian hosts its annual Food History Festival on Saturday, October 29th at the National Museum of American History, while also offering other pre-events to get you in the mood. Plus an after hours beer event on ‘The Great History of American Brewing’.

Thursday, October 27th
The Food History Gala: A seated dinner and fundraiser.

Friday, October 28th
Roundtables: A day of moderated discussions on the ‘politics’ of food and health.

Dine Out: Afterwards, almost 30 restaurants in DC and VA will offer a special dish inspired by American food history. Learn more here.

Saturday, October 29th
Food History Festival: Live demonstrations, talks, book signings and other ways to learn about food and its history in our country. Find the full schedule of the Food History Festival here.

The Great History of American Brewing ($40): Taste beers, try food and learn a bit of history over four historical tales. Breweries include Alewerks, Heavy Seas and Bluejacket, along with New Columbia Distillers. Get tickets here.

Smithsonian Food History Weekend
Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Thursday-Saturday, October 27-29, 2016
Festival: October 29 (10am-5:30pm)
Free (The Great History of American Brewing and the Gala require tickets)
All ages

Music Park: Electric Six @ Black Cat — 10/2/16

By

-

October 6, 2016

Dick Valentine fronts the Electric Six at the Black Cat on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: GrillworksBen)

The Electric Six are a band that gets straight to the point.

“Buy our new album so the Electric Six can continue touring,” said Electric Six frontman Dick Valentine at the Black Cat on Sunday night. “Buy our new album so that we can buy gas and pay tolls on our way to Philadelphia — including that one expensive toll over that bridge in Maryland where you don’t know why you have to pay a toll.”

Snapshots: In the Whale @ Black Cat — 10/2/16

By

-

October 6, 2016

In the Whale perform at the Black Cat on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: GrillworksBen)

In the Whale, a punk rock duo from Denver, Colorado, performed at the Black Cat on Sunday night as the opening act for the Electric Six. They played loud and fast, and they left a good impression on folks who turned up for the main act.