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Food Park: Alex McCoy @ Food Network Star (S. 11, Ep. 2) — 6/14/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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Chef Alex McCoy (Photo courtesy Food Network)

Well, a personally busy week last week kept me from chatting about the latest episode of Food Network Star until now, but now I’ve got a bit of time to update the progress of Chef Alex McCoy on the second episode of the show’s 11th season shortly before the third episode airs tonight.

Alex avoided elimination quite handily in the second episode with a terrific display as a “Comeback Kid.” He and the other 10 contestants faced two challenges — making a quick dinner from leftovers and then baking a sweet and savory dish for assessment by top patry chefs.

The chef did pretty well in the first challenge but blew everyone away in the second, in part by carefully listening to the feedback from Food Network Star hosts Bobby Flay and Giada De Laurentiis.

In the first challenge, Alex prepared a fried rice with the ingredients found in the refrigerator offered to contestants. Each contestant, including Alex, presented their meal in a 30-second video. Although Alex did well, Bobby and Giada dogged him a bit for going off theme, as Alex has presented himself as a “sandwich guy.” Alex explained that sometimes he wants something different when he comes home from a day of making sandwiches, and Bobby Flay suggested Alex could simply explain that.

However, the judges actually enjoyed late night fried rice. Bobby said, “I thought it was flavorful; I thought it had spice to it.”

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Don’t Miss: Huey Lewis and The News @ Warner Theatre, 6/23/15

By
Jeremy Bailey
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Huey Lewis and The New

Huey Lewis and The News have been together for 36 years and they are still going strong. So strong, they will play for us at the Warner Theatre on 6/23/15.

Their songs were essential listening for my second decade of life.

Even when their popularity waned in the 1990’s and beyond, I caught them live for the first and only time in 1996. Time to rectify that.

In the past 15 years, Huey Lewis and The News have released two studio albums, the latest one a tribute to the music of Stax Records.

I have not listened to either of those albums, but I’m sure Huey’s voice and The News’ sound, including R&B and soul influences, make them a worthy entry into their discography.

For me, I still go back to the classic hits of the 1980’s. ‘Power of Love’ and ‘If This Is It’, of course, but I always enjoyed ‘Heart of Rock & Roll’, ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ and my favorite, ‘Walking On a Thin Line’.

Let’s relive the classics! Tickets are still available.

Huey Lewis and The News
Warner Theatre
Tuesday, June 26
8:00pm
$53 and up
All ages

Live Review: Morrissey @ Echostage — 6/17/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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Morrissey admirers reach for their hero at Echostage on Wednesday.

“We were supposed to be here previously, and we couldn’t make it,” Morrissey said at Echostage Wednesday night. After a dramatic pause, he added, “The suicide rate in this band is very high.”

Speaking in reference to several cancelled shows in the DC area over the past several years, the latter part of that statement was offered as sardonic consolation to the audience via a bit of typically morbid humor from the Poet of Manchester, who actually then proceeded to put on a damn fine show.

The very very full Echostage was held rapturous as Morrissey and his longtime band (all of whom are hale and hearty despite his witty offering) dove into a robust set of 19 songs and one encore. The set focused heavily on rather good new material by Morrissey from the album World Peace Is None of Your Business — an odd album to be certain as it is not widely commercially available at the time of this writing due to a fallout last year between Morrissey and his label.

Regardless, Morrissey’s concert performance was entertaining in its own right, and what better way to get to know new songs than to enjoy them live? And more than enough people knew the lyrics to numbers like the title track “World Peace Is None of Your Business,” which revisits typical Morrissey themes of economic inequality and government suppression.

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Music Park: Men Without Hats @ World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, Pa. — 6/15/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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Ivan Doroschuk leads Men Without Hats during a performance at NXNE 2011.

The audience got the message and the message was clear in Philadelphia on Monday, June 15: Men Without Hats are still great.

Vocalist Ivan Doroschuk was in fighting trim at the World Cafe Live as he paraded through his band’s greatest hits as well as selections off a 2012 album, Love in the Age of War, recorded with his relatively new bandmates.

Knowing that the crowd would enjoy a good thing when it heard it, Ivan opened this show with a stripped down, ballad version of “Safety Dance,” which brought surprising poignancy to the old favorite.

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Don’t Miss: Jaga Jazzist @ Black Cat, 6/21/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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Jaga Jazzist (Photo courtesy Motormouthmedia)

I have to confess that I wasn’t that familiar with Norwegian collective Jaga Jazzist until the release of their most recent album Starfire on June 2 via Ninja Tune.

As their name implies, Jaga Jazzist is all about rather progressive jazz. They have embarked on a North American tour in support of their new album, and they come to the Black Cat on Sunday, June 21.

Jaga Jazzist has eight members, but its core is a trio of siblings — Lars, Martin and Line Horntveth. They started the band in 1994, when Lars was 14-years old. As the main songwriter for the group, Lars recently sought inspiration outside of Norway. In December 2012, he moved to Los Angeles.

“Inspired by the space around him, the size of the sky above him, the endless light flashing past as he drove round the city at night, he began composing the new suite of works, which would become Starfire,” according to a press release on the album.

The other members of Jaga Jazzist would visit him to record in his home studio. Once the rough album was complete, Lars took it back to Oslo to finish it.

The result is ornate, intricate pieces like “Oban.” Watch Jaga Jazzist perform “Oban” in a recent Oslo session:

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

Tickets are available online and at the door. Nashville musician Peter Barbee, aka Among Savages, opens for Jaga Jazzist.

Jaga Jazzist
w/ Among Savages
Black Cat
Sunday, June 21
Doors @7:30pm
$20
All ages

Music Park: Prince + 3rdeyegirl @ Warner Theatre — 6/14/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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Prince jams at the Warner Theatre on June 14. (Photo by Karrah Kobus / NPG Records)

Hey, we all agree: Prince is awesome. He’s funky, and he rocks the house in live performance. And he did as much in two sold-out shows at the Warner Theatre on Sunday as part of his series in the Hit & Run tour.

And so, yes, we’re going to talk a little about Prince. But Prince wants us to talk a bit about his backing band, 3rdeyegirl. So let’s talk about them first.

I actually first attended the Rally 4 Peace at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore on Sunday, May 10, and then I caught the late 11pm show at Warner Theatre this past Sunday, June 14.

In both performances, 3rdeyegirl were really quite great. They add fire to the overall show, and they hold down specific numbers on their own. Guitarist Donna Grantis often takes the front of the stage, literally leaping into action as she thunders away on her guitar. She did as much for the opening number Sunday night — “Plectrumelectrum,” the title track from their 2014 debut album with Prince. “Plectrumelectrum” is an instrumental track that gives the audience a chance to see 3rdeyegirl in action as the band gets warmed up. Donna is always in the minute, and her axe is really sharp.

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Sports Park: The Nationals’ Homestand vs. the Rays, Pirates & Braves, 6/17-6/25/15

By
Jeremy Bailey
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9THDrew Storen is third in the NL with 19 Saves

The Nationals have been in a rough patch the last couple weeks. They didn’t do much at home the first week of June, going 2-5, and then finished 4-4 on their latest road trip. They have fallen out of first place behind the lowly Mets.

At 34-31, they are still in the thick of the race. This upcoming homestand is the perfect time to overtake the Mets. Again.

On Wednesday, the Nationals send Jordan Zimmerman (5-4, 3.74 ERA) to the mound against the Rays’ Matt Andriese (1-1, 3.76 ERA).

Thursday we’ll see Joe Ross (1-1, 3.46 ERA) finish off the two-game series against the Rays’ ace, Chris Archer (7-4, 2.00 ERA).

You’ll have to wait until Friday, when the Nats play the Pirates, to see Max Scherzer (7-5, 1.93 ERA) continue his Cy Young campaign.

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

Last week, Major League Baseball’s 2015 First-Year Player Draft was held. The Nationals selected the following players in the first 10 rounds, including Mariano Rivera’s son.

RD Pick Player Position School
2 58 Andrew Stevenson OF Louisiana State University
2 69 Blake Perkins OF Verrado (AZ) High School
3 103 Rhett Wiseman OF Vanderbilt (TN) University
4 134 Mariano Rivera Jr. RHP Iona (NY) College
5 164 Taylor Hearn LHP Oklahoma Baptist University
6 194 Matt Crownover LHP Clemson (SC) University
7 224 Grant Borne LHP Nicholls (LA) State University
8 254 Koda Glover RHP Oklahoma State University
9 284 David Kerian 1B University of Illinois
10 314 Taylor Guilbeau LHP University of Alabama

 

Wednesday, June 17 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

  • Celebrate the Grand Opening of the new Team Store with special events on Wednesday before the game.

Thursday, June 18 vs. Tampa Bay Rays

  • The 9th Annual Ladies Night, featuring live music, player appearances, food samples and more. Even with quadrupling the number of available tickets from last year, 2015 Ladies Night is sold out. Fans can enjoy Ladies Night entertainment and music throughout the ballpark with a regular ticket. For more information, visit nationals.com/ladiesnight.

Friday, June 19 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

  • The first 15,000 fans to enter Nationals Park through ALL GATES will receive a Nationals pilsner cup (ages 21 and over).
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Don’t Miss: Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary Blowout @ RFK Stadium, 7/4/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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Dave Grohl (center) and the Foo Fighters, before “breaking a leg” (Photo by Hayley Madden)

Dave Grohl may have taken well-wishers’ call to “break a leg” a bit too literally! On June 12 at Ullevi Stadium in Gothenburg, Sweden, Dave took a tumble — and did just that.

During the second song of a Foo Fighters’ set, Dave fell off the stage. After being temporarily patched up, he completed the show in Sweden, but Camp Foo has seen a flurry of cancellations since then.

However, all major indicators suggest that all systems are go for the Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary Blowout at RFK Stadium, slated for Saturday, July 4.

On the advice of doctors, Dave was forced to cancel shows across Europe on June 14, 16, 19, 20, 23, 25 and 26. (The date of June 26 was for no less than the Glastonbury Festival 2015.)

In a humorous, high-spirited note to fans, Dave apologized for the cancellations on his website.

“So… here I am, recovering with 6 metal screws in my leg, thinking about a lifetime of holding up TSA lines from here to Kalamazoo… damn,” Dave wrote.

“Here’s the not so witty bit… My doctors have advised me to lay low for a while. The most important thing now is for me to recover from the surgery, to keep my leg elevated so as to keep swelling down and prevent any infection/complication that could do long term damage. I’m not out of the woods yet, folks…,” he added.

Despite the European cancellations, the 20th anniversary celebration remains on track. The show features acts that participated in the Foo Fighters HBO documentary series Sonic Highways, as well as a motorcycle rally, BBQ, fireworks and more. Guests include Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Heart, Joan Jett, LL Cool J feat. DJ Z-Trip, Trouble Funk, and Trombone Shorty.

Tickets for the festival are available online through Ticketmaster.

The party at RFK Stadium starts at 2pm on July 4, but you can start the party earlier with Dave at DC Brau (3178-B Bladensburg Rd. NE, DC) for the motorcycle rally at 9am.

At DC Brau, you can fill upon a breakfast of Chef Geoff’s Breakfast Burritos and Vigilante Coffee and catch some live music. Rally participants get VIP motorcycle parking at RFK as well as a special T-shirt. A portion of the proceeds benefit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children as well as We Are Family D.C.

You can buy tickets for Dave and Elliot’s 4th of July Rally and Ride to RFK separately, or you can buy them together with the Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary Blowout. You must ride a motorcycle to participate in the rally.

Woo! Well, there you have it. That’s what we know so far. So don’t miss a step, blow out an ankle or take a bad dive, go see the Foo Fighters (safely) instead!

Dave & Elliot’s 4th of July Rally & Ride to RFK
DC Brau
Saturday, July 4
9am
$50-$128
18+

Foo Fighters 20th Anniversary Blowout!
with Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr., Heart, Joan Jett, LL Cool J feat. DJ Z-Trip, Trouble Funk, and Trombone Shorty
RFK Stadium
Saturday, July 4
2pm
$78
All ages

fooposter

Music Park: Royal Blood @ 9:30 Club — 6/10/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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0

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Mike Kerr of Royal Blood at the 9:30 Club on June 10 (Photo by Katerine Gaines/AmbientEye Photography)

Royal Blood are loud. Improbably so, considering it consists of only two members — bassist Mike Kerr and drummer Ben Thatcher.

Mike’s vocals recall the spirit of 70s hard rock bands that inspired them, most notably Led Zeppelin, and Mike and Ben’s powerful instruments echo sounds from 90s grunge bands, notably Nirvana.

I realize that I’m repeating things that Jimmy Page and Dave Grohl themselves have said here, but the duo’s top song “Out of the Black” speaks its own case in volumes. At a sold-out show at the 9:30 Club on Wednesday, June 10, Royal Blood closed an all too brief 11-song set with the number, thundering their way into the hearts of the excited crowd.

People came to rock out, and Royal Blood gave them that opportunity. “Out of the Black” deals lyrically with a classic theme of the surprise of being rejected by a lover and as a result, “It broke your skin and shook through/Every part of me, every part of you.” In that way, Royal Blood follow in the footsteps of grunge bands who were always eager to sing about the negative emotions in their lives.

But Royal Blood aren’t here to wind down their statements into an empty cacophony of strings and drums. Rather, they are here to rock.

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Don’t Miss: Men Without Hats + China Crisis @ World Café Live, Philadelphia, Pa., 6/15/15

By
Mickey McCarter
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0

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The new-look Men Without Hats, with iconic frontman Ivan Doroschuk (Photo courtesy Cobraside)

We at ParklifeDC like to do our bit to cover the waterfront as far as bands performing in our fair city.

But sometimes, we just have to get out of town to see some old favorites, you know?

And so it is that on Monday, June 15, we are at the World Café Live in Philadelphia, Pa., for the amazing Men Without Hats, featuring iconic frontman Ivan Doroschuk in what is certain to be an entertaining performance.

About five years ago, Ian recruited a new backing band, and they released a terrific new album in 2012, Love in the Age of War, produced by Dave Ogilvie, who also has famously produced for the likes of Nine Inch Nails and engineered for Carly Rae Jepsen on “Call Me Maybe.”

How satisfying then that Men Without Hats fall squarely between the two – poppy, upbeat and wholly synthy.

I saw the new-look Men Without Hats at the State Theatre on Nov. 29, 2012, and “the new lineup sounded amazing with James Love on guitar and duo synthesizers played by Lou Dawson and Rachel Ashmore — a killer duo with impressive synth skills,” I reported on We Love DC at the time.

I added: But part of the appeal of Men Without Hats is that the songs only fans could name are really terrific songs — songs like “I Like,” “Living in China,” and “Where Do The Boys Go?” The first two appeared along with “The Safety Dance” on the Men Without Hats debut album, Rhythm of Youth in 1982 and still sound sharp today.

Philadelphia, Men Without Hats are worth your time tonight. Because, as the saying goes, we can dance if we want to, and we can leave your friends behind. Everyone wants to “Safety Dance,” and Men Without Hats are certain to fulfill that desire.

Watch the very famous video for “Safety Dance”:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjPau5QYtYs]

Men Without Hats appear with New Romantic Brits China Crisis. Tickets are available online and at the door.

Men Without Hats + China Crisis
World Café Live
3025 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa.
Monday, June 15
Doors @7pm; Show @8pm
$16-23
All ages

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