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Don’t Miss: Alberta Cross (Opening for Heartless Bastards) @ 9:30 Club, 9/12/15

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUe20zNYDAE]“Crate of Gold”

This Saturday (after you’ve made your appearance at the Snallygaster Beer Festival), head over to the 9:30 Club early to catch the band Alberta Cross, who is opening for Heartless Bastards.

What started as a duo in 2006, is now just Petter Ericson Stakee (originally from Sweden) and various friends.

With Stakee’s growly voice, Alberta Cross at times could be a lighter shade of Kasabian, like in “Crate of Gold”, or even a touch of Band of Horses, like in “Lucy Rider”.

A few of their songs made it onto television shows, including Sons of Anarchy and Californication.

With two full-length albums and a few EPs under their belt, the band releases their third album, Alberta Cross, this October.

The first single from the self-titled album, “Ghost of Santa Fe”, is a catchy, horn-filled song that soars, and hopefully spells good things for the whole album.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/217748158″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”80%” height=”100″ iframe=”true” /]

 

If you’re not going to see Madonna, Alberta Cross will be an excellent way to start your evening, capped by a performance by the Heartless Bastards.

 

Tickets are still available. See you there!

Alberta Cross
(Opening for Heartless Bastards)
9:30 Club
Saturday, September 12
Doors @7pm
$20
All ages

Petter Ericson Stakee, Alberta Cross in Paradiso

Around Town: 2015 National Book Festival @ Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 9/5/15

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2015 National Book Festival Poster

 

This Saturday, September 5th, you can check out the 15th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival. Held this year at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

It’s free to attend. This is the second year they’ve held it indoors at the Convention Center (while the renovation continues on The Mall).

This year’s theme is “I Cannot Live Without Books.” It is a quote from Thomas Jefferson, and a reference to the 200th anniversary of the Library’s acquisition of his personal library.

There will be over 170 authors, poets and illustrators featured throughout the day.

Here’s the schedule.

Find the Map and additional info here.

There is also an National Book Festival app available to help customize your personal itinerary for the day.

 

2015 Library of Congress National Book Festival
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Saturday, September 5
10:00am to 10:00pm
Free
All ages

Don’t Miss: Mike Peters (of The Alarm) @ The Hamilton Live, 9/8/15

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Mike Peters on the Strength Tour 2015 in Winchester at The Railway. (Photo courtesy Mike Peters Organization)

Mike Peters of The Alarm spent much of 2014 celebrating the 30th anniversary of his band’s first full-length album, Declaration. In doing so, he made a solo visit to Gypsy Sally’s in Georgetown.

“All in all, Peters put on an incredibly satisfying and entertaining show in a venue well suited for his solo performance and witty recollections,” I reported for the sadly defunct We Love DC on the show, held August 7, 2014.

A little over a year later, Mike is back, celebrating another anniversary! This time around, it’s the 30th anniversary of The Alarm’s second full-length album, Strength. And the celebration takes place locally in a solo show at the Hamilton Live on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

As a “one-man band,” Mike will play the album Strength along with other songs while sharing stories and images to honor the album, his band and their history. The album includes such beloved classics from The Alarm as “Spirit of ‘76” and “Walk Forever by My Side.” The album and much of its material is inspired by Mike’s own fight against cancer.

Watch a somewhat recent acoustic performance of the “Spirit of ‘76” in a video for the song on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kimPYBRnq68]

Mike continues his own cancer fight, but he also fights to help others. Over the last four years, Mike’s Love Hope Strength Foundation:

  • found over 1,500 potentially life-saving bone marrow donor matches;
  • built the first ever children’s cancer center in Tanzania;
  • supported the Bhaktapur Cancer Center in Nepal with life-saving equipment; and
  • registered over 90,000 donors through its “Get On the List” program.

Tickets are available online.

Mike Peters
The Hamilton Live
Tuesday, Sept. 8
Doors @6:30pm
$15-23
All ages

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Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Braves & Mets, 9/3-9/9/15

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DSC02153Max Scherzer is 11-11 with a 2.89 ERA on the season

The Nationals finished a respectable 6-3 on their most recent homestand. We’ll take it.

But then they played the Cardinals on the road. No one beats the Cardinals. They did salvage one game yesterday, as Max Scherzer pitched a solid game (6 innings, 10 strikeouts, 2 runs), but he didn’t pick up the win. Rafael Martin got it.

HUGE 7-game homestand coming up! Time to find out what the Nationals are made of. They play the lowly Braves and then play the exact team they need to beat, the New York Mets. If they can’t beat the Mets now, their chances at a playoff push are pretty much over.

Throughout the month of September the Washington Nationals will celebrate their loyal fans as part of Fan Appreciation Month. Fans can win prizes during home games.

For game tickets and more information, call 202.675.NATS(6287) or visit nationals.com/tickets.

 

Thursday, September 3 vs. Atlanta Braves

  • The first 20,000 fans to enter Nationals Park through ALL GATES will receive a five-piece Nesting Doll featuring players and managers from throughout Nationals history. This item marks the first Nationals giveaway to feature Max Scherzer. Golden Tickets will be randomly placed inside 100 of the Nesting Doll boxes — redeemable for a larger, 10-piece Nesting Doll set. Once a fan finds a Golden Ticket, they will got to a special Willy Wonka-themed room to redeem their 10-piece set. Willy Wonka will also be at Nationals Park, handing out candy.
  • Nationals fans and their canine friends can enjoy the fifth Pups in the Park game from a designated Pup Zone in the Family Picnic Area. Featuring pet sitters and representatives from the Washington Humane Society and Fetch! Pet Care, owner tickets are available for $26, while dog tickets cost $10. All proceeds from the dog tickets benefit the Washington Humane Society. Visit nationals.com/pups for tickets.

Interview: Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds (@ U Street Music Hall, 9/26/15)

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Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds (Photo by Bliss Braoudakis)

Laura Burhenn’s project The Mynabirds released their third album Lovers Know via Saddle Creek on August 7. Laura once called DC home before she migrated to Los Angeles to start The Mynabirds, and she’s returning for a hometown show at U Street Music Hall on Saturday, Sept. 26, as part of her tour in support of the new album (which starts tonight in San Diego). Parklife DC had the sincere pleasure of chatting with Laura about her new stuff, her DC roots, and subversive pop songs.

[The transcript of this interview has been edited lightly for the sake of brevity in spots.]

Don’t Miss: Eliot Sumner (Opening for ON AN ON) @ DC9, 9/15/15

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Eliot Sumner (Photo courtesy Press Here)

Eliot Sumner was once “I Blame Coco.”

She’s not “Coco” any more, but she’s still the daughter of Gordon Sumner, better known as Sting — and she’s coming to DC9 on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

In 2014, Eliot released an EP, Information, as her first release under her Sting-given name, and she released a second EP, Early Reflections SMPLR, only last week.

Make no mistake: Eliot doesn’t sound like her dad, but I think you can occasionally catch her father’s cadence in some of her songs.

Watch the video for her latest single “Species,” released on August 24, 2015, on You Tube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzUgn7TIdz4]

On her new songs, Eliot plays guitar, often accompanied by synths, bass and drums, but her distinctive voice serves as the cornerstone of her sound. The low register of her voice lends her songs a certain urgency, and she occasionally sounds trip hop. For her new material, she cites influences like the Bad Seeds, Cluster, Faust, and Kraftwerk.

Listen to the songs from Eliot’s two recent EPs on Soundcloud:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/users/23486956″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Eliot performs at DC9 as part of a tour where she is opening for experimental Minneapolis trio ON AN ON. Tickets are available online.

Eliot Sumner
(Opening for ON AN ON)
DC9
Tuesday, Sept. 15
Doors @8pm
$12-$14
All ages

Music Park: King Raam @ Black Cat — 8/27/15

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King Raam

King Raam took the stage at the Black Cat Thursday night, and immediately recognized he had drawn a “home crowd.”

Raam addressed the audience directly in Farsi, and indeed the very crowded room presented him with a robust audience of DC Persian music enthusiasts who responded in kind.

I of course don’t speak Farsi, so my observations on Raam’s performance are limited mostly to his musical skill and capabilities. I will say however that Raam, visiting DC on a brief US tour from Tehran, was a magnetic presence to the audience, who swayed respectfully in place, hypnotized by his rhythms.

Don’t Miss: Snallygaster 2015 @ The Yards, 9/12/15

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Friends toast the Snallygaster beer festival.

The Snallygaster is a beast worth embracing!

Named for the dragon-like creature once said to roam the DC area, the Snallygaster is set to return for its fourth year as DC’s preeminent craft beer festival on Saturday, Sept. 12. For the second year, it’s being held at The Yards near Nationals Park stadium (at Lot H/I on First St. SE and N St. SE, DC).

The Snallygaster beer festival is a great time for beer geeks because so many high-end breweries turn up, represented by actual brewmasters or staff from their breweries, at the invitation of beer director Greg Engert of the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which includes such well-regarded DC-area beer destinations as Churchkey, Bluejacket, Rustico, and others.

Greg has assembled more than 300 beers for this year’s festival, including nearly 50 making their debut at Snallygaster 2015.

According to a press release from Snallygaster, the beer list includes Perennial Barrel-Aged Abraxas, Allagash Ghoulschip, Bluejacket Whiskey Barrel-Aged Double Mexican Radio, Firestone Walker Feral One (Batch 2), The Bruery Grey Monday, Alpine Beer Nelson, and Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus. The full list is available at http://www.snallygasterdc.com.

Come hungry and Snallygaster 2015 won’t disappoint you there either. Local food trucks and vendors on hand will include Rappahannock Oyster Co., Dolcezza, Big Cheese, Tasty Kabob, DC Slices, GBD, Red Apron, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Pork Barrel BBQ, Westray’s Ice Cream, Cajunators, DC Empanada, Lemongrass, and Mess Hall.

Musical entertainment at Snallygaster 2015 includes Rare Essence, Kokayi, White Ford Bronco, Brothers Brau, and more.

VIP “Kraken” passes are sold out! But “Gargoyle” regular admission passes are still available for $35. An advance Gargoyle pass includes 1pm entry into the festival, 30 food and drink tickets, and a custom Snallygaster 2015 beer mug. Additional food and drink tickets are available onsite for $1 each. (A beer “tasting” serving generally will cost three to six tickets.) A portion of the proceeds benefit the Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture.

Tickets are available online.

Snallygaster 2015
The Yards
Saturday, Sept. 12
Festival @1-6pm
$35
21+ to drink

Sports Park: Navigating the DC Social Sports Scene – ZogSports

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ZogSports VolleyballSmile, you’re a winner!

Social sports are a big deal in DC. Since there are so many options, how do you determine which league to join?

The sport you want to play and where you’re willing to play at will impact your decision. Unfortunately, there are no Whirlyball leagues at the Verizon Center quite yet.

Let’s continue to look at three leagues you should try out. See Part 1 here.

Part 2: ZogSports DC

I’ve played sand volleyball (6×6 and 4×4) with ZogSports DC since 2014.

Sand volleyball is a lot of fun. Although the season for league outdoor volleyball is winding down, on weekends, there is usually a big turn-out at the Lincoln Memorial Sand Courts for free pick-up matches.

The sign-up fee for ZogSports DC includes six matches (with playoffs if you qualify), a team t-shirt and the winning team each week gets a free pitcher or bucket of beer at the sponsor bar. The top two teams in each league gets a donation (from ZogSports) sent to the cause/charity of their choice. I also like that the website tracks the standings and archives any past leagues you have played in.

The locations of the different sports are all across the city, so you should have no trouble finding something that is convenient for you.

Kendra Hansen, General Manager of ZogSports DC, chats with Parklife DC:

Don’t Miss: The Jet Age @ Villain & Saint, 9/12/15

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Bassist Greg Bennett, guitarist Eric Tischler, and drummer Pete Nuwayser of The Jet Age (Photo by D. Wade)

Q&A with Eric Tischler of The Jet Age

This weekend, David Gedge, lead singer of The Wedding Present, will present his annual music festival, At the Edge of the Sea, in Brighton, England.

For most of us in DC, the festival may seem a world away, but to Eric Tischler of The Jet Age, it’s a party he won’t miss. You see, Eric and his DC-based band are friends and tourmates with The Wedding Present, and they have chosen to debut their new record, Destroy. Rebuild, at the UK festival in a performance this Saturday. (The album is officially available this Friday, August 28.) In a way, it’s completely appropriate, given Eric’s love for UK shoegazers and other English bands and how their genres shaped his own band.

Parklife DC caught up with the versatile guitarist and vocalist of The Jet Age to ask him about the influences on his band, how he approaches his craft, and his next DC-area show at Villain & Saint (7141 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, Md.) on Saturday, Sept. 12.