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Live Review: Wale @ MGM National Harbor — 11/15/24

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Wale
Wale performs at MGM National Harbor on Nov. 15, 2024. (Photo by Tonya Caver)

Wale, DC’s homegrown hero, recently ended his sold-out tour at MGM National Harbor. The surprise show was added after hundreds of fans flooded Wale’s social platforms in confusion as to why his home city did not make the cut for his tourdates release. It appears he had held out because he had a trick up his sleeve — as he announced the DC date along with a week-long roster off events to coincide with the one-year anniversary of “Wale Day” here in the District. The week’s events provided many opportunities for him to give back and connect with the city.

Live Review: Doechii @ Union Stage — 11/14/24

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Doechii
Doechii performs at Union Stage on Nov. 14, 2024. (Photo by Mecie Gold)

Doechii the Don, Doechii the Dean, Doechii Supreme, The Swamp Ruler — Doechii recently performed at Union Stage DC. Leading up to the final stop of The Alligator Bites Never Heal Tour, Doechii has been ruling the rap game. In every aspect possible, she’s a lyrical genius, a fashion goddess, and your rapper’s favorite rapper.

Live Review: Palehound and Ratboys w/ youbet @ The Atlantis — 11/11/24

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Ratboys
Ratboys perform at The Atlantis on Nov. 11, 2024. (Photo by Sami Pye)

“It’s so great to do this and create a space for everyone in this room,” said El Kempner, the guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the indie band Palehound after finishing their song “The Clutch.” It was the first of the band’s recent two nights appearing at The Atlantis on a split bill with Ratboys.

Live Review: Knocked Loose w/ The Garden, Drain, and Militarie Gun @ The Anthem — 11/10/24

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Knocked Loose
Knocked Loose performs at The Anthem on Nov. 10, 2024. (Photo by Carolin Harvey)

I’ve worked a handful of hardcore shows and attended even fewer, but I can definitively say that this crowd is a group of seasoned pros when it comes to moshing.

Knocked Loose is a Kentucky band formed in 2013 consisting of members Bryan Garris (lead vocals), Isaac Hale (lead guitar), Nicko Calderon (rhythm guitar), Kevin Otten (bass), and Kevin “Pacsun” Kaine (drums). I’ve never seen a mosh pit comparable to the one at Knocked Loose’s recent set at The Anthem. Knocked Loose was at The Fillmore Silver Spring earlier this year, and I didn’t expect them to come back to the area so soon, let alone at The Anthem, so I knew this was a show to see. While I expected to see bodies in the air and thrashing limbs, I did not expect what was a relatively respectful crowd.

Live Review: Jeffrey Foucault Band w/ Erik Koskinen @ New Prospect Theatre (Bellingham, WA) — 11/10/24

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JF, Bham, 11/10/24
Jeffrey Foucault, Erik Koskinen, New Prospect Theatre, Bellingham, WA, Nov. 10, 2024 (Mark Caicedo)

“You may have noticed I’m playing an acoustic guitar. That means this is a folk music show.”

I’m not one to quibble, but Jeffrey Foucault’s recent show at Bellingham’s New Prospect Theatre was indeed folky, but oh, so much more. The Jeffrey Foucault Band, currently on the road in support of his newest album, The Universal Fire (Fluff and Gravy Records), showed us what happens when you get five master musicians in a room together playing at the top of their game.

Live Review: Andre 3000 @ The Kennedy Center — 11/9/24

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Andre 3000
Andre 3000 (Photo by Kai Regan)

In Civilization and Its Discontents, Sigmund Freud grapples with the persistence of suffering despite the great technical and cultural advancements of modern society. Why, he asks, are people with access to all manner of technical achievements and amusing diversions still so frustrated in their pursuit of pleasure? He enumerates several means by which we cope with this societal failure, including intoxication, asceticism, and religion. Art, he suggests, is of little help in this struggle against unhappiness.

“The enjoyment of beauty has a peculiar, mildly intoxicating quality of feeling,” Freud writes, “but its intensity is weak as compared with that derived from the sating of crude and primary instinctual impulses.”

Andre 3000 disagrees.

Album Review: Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé

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Beyonce

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, also stylized as Act II: Cowboy Carter, marks another successful era for the veteran performer as it earned the top spot in the Billboard Country Albums chart. This made her the first Black woman to achieve the no. 1 spot since the chart’s first issue in 1964. It also continues her streak of hitting the top of the Billboard 200 for every mainstream album release.

Live Review: Echosmith @ Pearl Street Warehouse — 11/11/24

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Echosmith
Echosmith performs at Pearl Street Warehouse on Nov. 11, 2024. (Photo by James Todd Miller)

Echosmith Celebrate 10 Years as ‘Cool Kids’ at Pearl Street Warehouse
Words by Matt Bailey
Photos by James Todd Miller

Echosmith — siblings Graham, Noah, and Sydney Sierota — delivered an intimate evening of pop music at DC’s Pearl Street Warehouse.

The group are celebrating 10 years since emerging with their original blend of instrumentation, soft electronic undertones, and powerful vocals. Lead singer Sydney has a voice that can be both lilting (“Tell Her You Love Her”) or forceful (“Sour.”)

Live Review: Stryper @ Rams Head Live — 11/10/24

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Stryper
Stryper performs at Rams Head Live on Nov. 10, 2024. (Photo by Michael Sprouse/Odd Rocker Photography)

On a crisp November evening in Baltimore, Stryper, the legendary Christian metal band that rose to prominence in the 1980s with their bold fusion of faith and heavy metal, marked a milestone on their 40th anniversary tour at Baltimore’s Rams Head Live, delivering a show that was both a nostalgic trip down memory lane and an electrifying showcase of their talent.

Snapshots: Orion Sun @ 9:30 Club — 11/9/24

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Orion Sun
Orion Sun performs at 9:30 Club on Nov. 9, 2024. (Photo by Chris Castillo)

Singer-songwriter Orion Sun released her second studio album, Orion, earlier this year, and she’s embarked on a tour in support of it.

Orion Sun recently performed at 9:30 Club in DC, and Chris Castillo was there to photograph the show.