Parklife DC

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August 9, 2016

Belinda Carlisle sings at The Go-Go’s concert at the Warner Theater on August 5, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

“We’re going to play a few songs from a time before the producers got a hold of us,” said Belinda Carlisle to the audience at the Warner Theatre on Friday.

It was a favorite moment in a concert that was honestly a string of favorite moments. With that pronouncement, The Go-Go’s launched into the fiery punk “Screaming,” which they dutifully followed up with “Fun with Ropes,” a song about a little bit of innocuous if kinky fun. The two songs appeared in live versions previously on the 1994 compilation Return to the Valley of The Go-Go’s, which I’ve noted previously is a prized possession in my music collection, but otherwise always remained unreleased in a nod to the band becoming more radio-friendly.

Around Town: August’s OutdoorFest Mappy Hour @ Wunder Garten, 8/24/16

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Parklifer

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August 9, 2016

Mt. Catherine, WA (Photo by: Jeremy Bailey)

This month’s Mappy Hour, by OutdoorFest, will be on the theme of adventure travel. Bring your big adventure ideas.

As always, Mappy Hour is free, but beer will set you back a few of your hard-earned pennies. This month, they partner with REI and move to the outdoor Wunder Garten in NoMa.

Register here.

I’ll be backpacking four days in Colorado next week. Can you come up with bigger adventure goals?

Mappy Hour – August 2016
Wunder Garten in NoMA (1st and L Street NE)
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
6:30-9:30pm
Free (must register)
21+

Don’t Miss: Echo & The Bunnymen @ 9:30 Club, 9/9/16

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August 9, 2016

Tickets are available online.

Echo & The Bunnymen (Photo courtesy the band)

The legendary Echo & The Bunnymen have been no strangers to DC in recent years, performing shows at venues like the Fillmore Silver Spring and the Black Cat.

However, arguably, a local Echo & The Bunnymen show belongs at the 9:30 Club, the perfect venue to capture the timelessness of the band’s hazy neo-psychedelia. Thankfully, justice and opportunity are about to meet as The Bunnymen are hitting the 9:30 Club on a perfect date: Friday, Sept. 9.

Led by founders in vocalist Ian McCulloch and guitarist Will Sergeant, the Liverpool iconoclasts have been doing some great work lately, publishing their most recent album Meteorites in 2014 via 429 Records with some signature production assistance from Youth and Andrea Wright. The result was 10 terrific songs of super-psych pop that recaptures the glory days of The Bunnymen.

Watch the official music video for “Lovers on the Run” from the latest album by Echo & The Bunnymen via YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7bDBcJAGTU]

Said Ian of the album, “At long last, we’ve made the worthy successor to Crocodiles, Heaven Up Here, Porcupine, and Ocean Rain. Meteorites is what Echo and the Bunnymen mean and are meant to be up there in heaven — untouchable, celestial, beautiful, and real. It has changed my life.”

If that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will. Go see this show!

Echo & The Bunnymen
9:30 Club
Friday, Sept. 9
Doors @8pm
$40
All ages

Music Park: Garbage @ Lincoln Theatre — 8/3/16

By

Jeremy Bailey

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August 8, 2016

Garbage performs at Lincoln Theatre (Photo by: Mickey McCarter)

Garbage descended on DC for the second time in a year on August 3rd, this time at the seated Lincoln Theatre (although no one actually sat).

For this tour they are promoting their sixth album, Strange Little Birds, released in June. Of the 22 songs they played to the rapt crowd, only four were from the new album. “Even Though Our Love Is Doomed”, which Shirley Manson (lead singer) described as ‘the centerpiece of our new record’, is introspective and moving played live, and focuses more on the vocals.

Other new songs included the hard-charging “Blackout” and later during the encore, “Empty” and the slow, take-it-down-a-notch “Sometimes”.

Don’t Miss: Diet Cig @ DC9, 8/10/16

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August 8, 2016

Diet Cig (Photo by Andrew Piccone)

Vocalist and guitarist Alex Luciano and drummer Noah Bowman met in New Paltz, N.Y., in 2014 and promptly formed a band together. They soon released their debut EP Over Easy on Father/Daughter Records. And then last fall, the released a 7-inch single, Sleep Talk.

Diet Cig put on a high-energy show, kicking up a storm with a kind of music they have labeled “slop pop.” In practice, Diet Cig seem to have an appetite for sunny jangle pop. You can hear it for yourself when they stop at DC9 to play a show on Wednesday, August 10!

Watch the official music video for “Sleep Talk” by Diet Cig on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVUcgmnm2GQ]

Diet Cig is working on their debut full-length album, which will come out in 2017 via Frenchkiss Records.

Montreal indie rock duo Solids open for Diet Cig. Tickets are available online.

Diet Cig
w/ Solids
DC9
Wednesday, August 10
Doors @8:30pm
$12/14
All ages

Don’t Miss: Shopping @ Comet Ping Pong, 8/9/16

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August 8, 2016

Shopping (Photo by Jenna Foxton)

Last fall, UK post-punk trio Shopping released their second album, Why Choose, via FatCat and embarked on a worldwide tour in support of it.

Now the fantastically catchy band are returning to the United States for a spate of shows in 2016, with a date at Comet Ping Pong on Tuesday, August 9. Guitarist Rachel Aggs, bassist Billy Easter, and drummer Andrew Milk are making their way to the Athens Popfest on Thursday, and they will wrap in a show for Berserktown III on Sunday in Los Angeles.

Why Choose is full of hot riffs and cold relationships, such as with break-up song “Straight Lines.” Watch the official music video for “Straight Lines” (featuring the band getting naked) by Shopping on YouTube:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8kkAl64I9s]

The New York Times pretty much nails it when they say, “Jagged guitar truncheons joust with stomping bass lines while the front woman, Aggs, howls like she’s descended from Ari Up and the Slits. The jocularity of the B-52’s bubbles up from time to time.”

This should be a great show for such an intimate space! Tickets are available online and at the door.

Shopping
w/ Gauche and Stef Chura
Comet Ping Pong
Tuesday, August 9
Doors @9pm
$12
All ages

Music Park: Kristin Kontrol @ Lincoln Theatre — 8/3/16

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August 5, 2016

Kristin Kontrol performs at the Lincoln Theatre in DC on August 3, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Not long ago, Shirley Manson hailed a cab in New York City. The frontwoman for the band Garbage was preparing to approach the cab when another woman zipped by her and into the car.

Amused, Shirley introduced herself to the cab jumper to realize the woman was Kristin Welchez, formerly of the Dum Dum Girls. The two became fast friends, Shirley explained at the Lincoln Theatre Wednesday night, and Garbage invited Kristin to open for them on their US tour, the first leg of which wrapped up in DC on August 3.

Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Giants, Indians & Braves, 8/5-8/14/16

By

Jeremy Bailey

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August 5, 2016

Daniel Murphy is your NL Player of the Month (July 2016)

11 things to look forward to on the Nationals’ homestand.

Get your tickets here!

Giants – August 5-7
Indians – August 9-10
Braves – August 12-14

1) July’s NL Player of the Month. Yes, indeed, Daniel Murphy is honored again this month (he also won in May), hitting .346. He leads the league in batting average (.356) and hits (136).

2) Star Wars Day! On August 13th get a spiffy Nationals Star Wars t-shirt (only 20,000 of you). Plus Star Wars characters will roam around for photo ops. I predict: all Ewoks.

Around Town: Woofstock @ DC Pavilion, 8/6/16

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Jeremy Bailey

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August 5, 2016