Don’t Miss: IAMX @ U Street Music Hall, 9/30/16

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September 21, 2016

IAMX (Photo by Saryn Christina)

IAMX (born Chris Corner) followed up last year’s Metonia album with an EP, Everything Is Burning, which contains seven brooding synthpop songs. IAMX released the EP via Caroline Records on Sept. 2, then set upon a tour to promote the new songs.

That tour, already underway, hits Santa Ana, California tonight, but more importantly it stops at U Street Music Hall in DC on Friday, Sept. 30.

With IAMX, Chris Corner certainly has distinguished himself from his former trip hop band Sneaker Pimps, eventually moving to Los Angeles in 2013. (The project’s title “I AM X,” sneakily derives its name from Sneaker Pimps’ debut album, Becoming X.)

Listen to “Everything Is Burning” yourself on Spotify, and experience songs like the title track, “Triggers,” and “Scars.”

If IAMX seems dark, the darkness comes from what is now a good place.

“IAMX is basically my public therapy,” Chris said in a recent press release. “It’s my way of being able to connect with the world, to pour my heart out and dance at the same time. It’s also an excuse for me to play with who I am, to explore certain parts of my personality that I don’t get to explore in everyday life.”

IAMX is going strong since his 2004 debut album Kiss + Swallow, and continuing through The Alternative, Kingdom of Welcome Addiction, Volatile Times, The Unified Field, and Metanoia. So pour your heart out with Chris and dance along to his seductive dark cabaret with IAMX.

Surprisingly, this show hasn’t sold out yet, but it will soon. Tickets are available online. Act fast!

IAMX
w/ Cellars
U Street Music Hall
Friday, Sept. 30
Doors @7pm
$25
All ages

Stars and Bars: Snallygaster 2016 @ Yards Park — 9/17/16

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Mickey McCarter

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September 21, 2016

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Dave Coleman of 3 Stars Brewing Co. enjoys a beer in front of his tent in the Mothra section of Snallygaster 2016.

For its fifth year, Snallygaster rocked the beer drinkers of DC for its 2016 edition, held in its scenic recurring location in Yards Park.

Early in the day, my fellow blogger Jeremy headed straight for the excellent local brewery 3 Stars Brewing Co. (6400 Chillum Pl. NW, DC). There, he drank up a collaboration beer from 3 Stars and Charm City Meadworks, the Two Headed Unicorn, a barrel-aged sour blond ale, clocking in at ABV 6.5%, as he said he would.

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Around Town: 2016 National Book Festival @ Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 9/24/16

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Jeremy Bailey

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September 21, 2016

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(Poster Design by Yuko Shimizu)

The 16th Annual National Book Festival comes to the Washington Convention Center on Saturday, September 24th!

Stephen King will be there on the Main Stage! Other authors speaking/presenting include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shonda Rhimes, Bob Woodward and Salman Rushdie. Tickets are required for Stephen’s talk (although they are full now), but not the others.

If you like books (and who doesn’t?), there will be a bit of everything. From kids books to fiction to graphic novels to poetry to books on food or history or science, you should have no problem finding something you want to read or to give as a gift.

Over 135 authors and illustrators will be available for signings throughout the day. Check out the schedule here.

A few notable authors and their latest books include, Mary Roach (Grunt) (1:00-1:45pm), Ken Burns (Grover Cleveland, Again!) (1:30-2:30pm) and Justin Cronin (The City of Mirrors) (4:30-5:30pm).

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

Find additional info here.

2016 Library of Congress National Book Festival
Walter E. Washington Convention Center
Saturday, September 24, 2016
9:00am to 10:00pm
Free
All ages

Music Park: Krewella @ U Street Music Hall — 9/15/16

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EDMit it

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September 21, 2016

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Krewella (Photo by Chris Parsons)

Krewella brought their energy with them on this Sweatbox Tour performance last Thursday at a sold-out U Street Music Hall!

The tour name does it justice as you can see the blood, sweat, and tears they put into their music. The Chicago duo was joined by their touring drummer, Frank Zummo, who had breathtaking solos and kept up with the consistently fast-paced beats dropped by Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf — aka Krewella!

EDMit it review: 8.5/10

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Snapshot: Lush @ 9:30 Club, 9/21/16

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Mickey McCarter

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September 21, 2016

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lush-chestersimpson — Lush and English alternative rock band, formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. (L to R) Chris Acland, Phil King, Miki Berenyi, and Emma Anderson

In 1994, my friend and rock-n-roll photographer Chester Simpson snapped a picture of shoegaze quartet Lush at the old 9:30 Club (once at 930 F Street NW, DC). That’s his one-time caption for that picture describing it above.

But the story of Lush isn’t quite done. Lush are back, releasing new material in 2016! They published new songs on an EP, Blind Spot, back in May via their own Edamame label.

But let’s rewind to 1996 and watch the official music video for “Ladykillers,” a great song from Lush, on YouTube:

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

Now, Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson (vocals and guitars) along with Phil King (bass) and drummer Justin Welch (Spitfire, Elastica) are on a world tour that stops in DC at the 9:30 Club tonight! Although many dates on their US tour sold out, the 9:30 Club show has not yet closed ticket sales!

What are you waiting for? Join us to see this fantastic band. Tickets are available online!

For more from my wise but wild photographer friend Chester, visit http://www.rock-n-rollphotos.com.

Lush
w/ Tamaryn
9:30 Club
Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2016
Doors @7pm
$35
All ages

Ticket Giveaway: Buzzcocks @ 9:30 Club, 9/28/16

By

Mickey McCarter

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September 21, 2016

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Buzzcocks (Photo by Leone Collinane)

Punk exploded in the United Kingdom in 1976, and nowhere was that more true than specifically on June 4, 1976, when the Sex Pistols played at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto — the two men who would form the Buzzcocks, Manchester’s most enduring punk band — organized that gig for the Sex Pistols.

In the film 24 Hour Party People, Factory Records impresario Tony Wilson, portrayed by the actor Steve Coogan, estimates that are 42 people in the room during a recreation of the show, and many of them went on to form monumental bands like Joy Division, The Fall, and even The Smiths.

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Sports Park: D.C. United vs. Orlando City SC @ RFK Stadium, 9/24/16

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Jeremy Bailey

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September 21, 2016

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Season Record: 7-9-13 (34 points)

After going 1-1-3 (6 points) over the last five games, your United are still looking upwards in the hopes they can climb into the final playoff spot.

With only five games left, sitting in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, the United have some work to do.

Lamar Neagle is leading the team in goals scored (6), adding two in September so far. Yet the United remain near the bottom of the Conference in total goals scored (39).

I think they find the momentum they need starting this Saturday and beat the purple Pride of Orlando. The two teams are tied in the standings.

No more draws allowed, something has to give.

Buy your tickets here.

Audacious Assertion: United 2, Orlando City 1
(My home picks so far: 4-4)

MLS: Orlando City SC at D.C. United
RFK Stadium
Saturday, September 24, 2016
7:00pm
$20-55
All ages

Don’t Miss: Sam Feldt @ 9:30 Club, 9/30/16

By

Mickey McCarter

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September 20, 2016

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Sam Feldt (Photo courtesy AM only)

Sam Feldt started his music career in 2013 at the age of 20! And here in that short time, we are all dancing to his music. A year after his debut, the Dutchman signed with Spinnin’ Records and released his first track on the label.

In 2014, he grabbed our attention with his remix of the Sander van Doorn and Firebeatz release “Guitar Track,” which received almost two million plays on Soundcloud (250,000 plays in one week!) and a #1 Hypem spot.

Sam really drove it home with his 2015 release “Show Me Love,” a track that characterizes his signature sound of “beautifully built melodies, loads of atmosphere and emotion packed in a tantalizing, often laidback groove, ” according to his label.

In advance of a new release, Sam is spinning at the 9:30 Club with Bakermat on Friday, Sept. 30.

Listen to a preview of “Runaways” by Sam Feldt and Deepend featuring Teemu (available Oct. 7!) on Soundcloud:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/282859128″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

So far in 2016, Sam released his first extended play, Been a While, and singles “Shadows of Love” (featuring Heidi Rojas) and “Summer on You” (with Lucas & Steve featuring Wulf). The young DJ is unstoppable!

At the 9:30 Club, Sam is joined by fellow Dutchman Bakermat, who recently released the single “Living” featuring Alex Clare from the album of the same name.

Tickets are available online.

Bakermat & Sam Feldt
9:30 Club
Friday, Sept. 30
Doors @11pm
$26
All ages

Don’t Miss: The Faint @ 9:30 Club, 10/8/16

By

Mickey McCarter

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September 20, 2016

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The Faint (Photo by Bill Sitzmann)

Synthpop quartet The Faint released a new song this year, and it’s pretty damn good… one of their better singles in quite a few years, I daresay!

The single will also see inclusion on an upcoming retrospective release by The Faint — CAPSULE: 1999-2016, due Sept. 30 via their longtime label Saddle Creek. To celebrate the release, The Faint are going on tour, and they stop at the 9:30 Club on Saturday, Oct. 8.

Listen to “Young and Realistic,” the catchy new single by The Faint, on Soundcloud:

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/264856931″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

The CAPSULE compilation arrives 17 years after the first release by The Faint — 1999’s Blank-Wave Arcade. The band rapidly matured and by 2001 released what many consider their masterpiece, Danse Macabre. The upcoming “greatest hits” includes contributions from albums Blank-Wave Arcade, Danse Macabre, Wet From Birth, Fasciinatiion, and Doom Abuse as well as “Young and Realistic” — and two brand new songs “Skylab1979” and “ESP.”

To me, the interesting thing about The Faint is that they almost always hit the perfect mark for what I consider “dark wave.” The Faint are a new wave band, but they eschew a lot of the sunny optimism of most new wave bands to drum up spikey dirges warning of difficult choices ahead. However, they never quite fall into the gloomy despair or overly distorted sound of modern industrial bands, saving them from easy categorization. And The Faint frontman Todd Fink is a joy to behold on synthesizer. (Seriously, it’s hard to find someone who can play synth with half as much energy!)

Opening for The Faint are Andy Gill’s new-look Gang of Four and Brooklyn dark-waver Travis Egedy, better known as Pictureplane. Don’t miss this action-packed bill!

Tickets are available online.

The Faint
w/ Gang of Four, Pictureplane
9:30 Club
Saturday, Oct. 8
Doors @6pm
$25
All ages