DJ Craig Boarman, former co-owner of the Ottobar, returns to DC to present the New Wave Dance Party Battle at 9:30 Club on Friday, June 28.
Dance all night to the “Big 4” of New Wave…The Cure! Duran Duran! Depeche Mode! New Order! Plus, a special late-night closing set of all iconic ’80s New Wave classics!!
Chrissie Hynde was once described as a punk rocker with a classic rock heart. Similarly, The Hold Steady are an indie rock band with a classic rock heart. And, like Hynde, frontman Craig Finn hails from middle America, the Twin Cities in Minnesota, to be specific. The Hold Steady’s mix of anthemic, Springsteen-influenced rock, the beer-soaked bar band meanderings of the Replacements, and the punk energy of Husker Du, filtered through the Catholic-influenced storytelling of frontman Craig Finn, has attracted a dedicated following that sold out the 9:30 Club recently for the second of three DC shows on their Constructive Summer 2024 Tour.
It was their first appearance at the 9:30 Club since 2014.
“Do you wanna hear a punk song..?”
Rushing to The Atlantis on this balmy hot-as-Satan’s-gooch DC summer night, running a bit late to catch White Reaper, I was not expecting a punk show. Although the Louisville-based five-piece is rooted in rich garage punk history, their releases over the past 7 or 8 years have favored more complex, richly layered songs, anchored by hook-driven verses and gaze-y, pop-forward choruses.
So, as I hurried through security in the newest IMP property, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Mike, frontman for opening act Spiritual Cramp, utter those words…“Do you wanna hear a punk song?”
When you attend a concert, you expect to be entertained. Sometimes that means just hearing great music. Other times bands are a bit more engaging and you get to hear stories about the songs they are playing. Still other times you get shows like Nicotine Dolls at Union Stage. Not only did they recently play great music and engage the audience by telling stories, lead singer Sam Cieri entered active conversations with the audience.
Additionally, the crowd had the chance to choose part of the setlist in a live, online poll.
For all their forays into various subgenres and styles, Wilco, the Chicago institution fronted by Jeff Tweedy, are at their core a hard-rocking six-piece unit who put on a dynamite live show. While their albums cover territory ranging from alt-country to vintage pop to experimental rock, as a live act they are incredibly tight, with Tweedy’s songs supported by the instrumental prowess of guitar virtuoso Nels Cline, drummer Glenn Kotche, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keys player Mikael Jorgensen, and bassist John Stirratt, who is, along with Tweedy, the sole remaining member of the original lineup still with the band.
Wilco recently reminded us what a revolutionary live act they remain in a stunning show at Wolf Trap.
In a few short weeks, Los Campesinos! release All Hell, their seventh studio album, via their own label Heart Swells. It’s a milestone for the ragtag septet, who have been achieving more and more since their 2008 debut album, Hold on Now, Youngster…, and their defining 2010 record, Romance Is Boring.
Led by fresh-faced Englishman Gareth Paisey, Los Campesinos! recently romped through the Black Cat in a return engagement that previewed some songs from the upcoming album.
At Wolf Trap, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss recently performed a concert that was a mesmerizing blend of rock, folk, and bluegrass — captivating their audience from the opening notes.
Lizzy McAlpine needs no introduction, literally.
The singer recently singer played her second show of her sold-out double header at The Anthem. For The Older Tour, promoting her album of the same name, McAlpine made some adjustments since her last tour, including no opener.
Like many Generation-Z artists, she began her career by sharing her music on social media platforms, particularly Instagram and YouTube. Her acoustic performances and original songs gained attention for their authentic lyrics.
Good things come to those wait. The audience at Jaime Wyatt’s recent show show at The Atlantis had been waiting months to see her, after she was forced to reschedule her appearance this past February. But it was an evening worth waiting for, as the modern-day outlaw delivered with excellent songs in her rocked-up, twangy sound.
Even if weren’t for her unique personal story, Jaime would be identified as a descendant of the outlaw country movement of the ’70s by her music and songwriting. But the path her life has followed certainly contributes to that perception. The child of musicians, she grew up in Tacoma, Washington, listening to a mix of rock and country, and she started playing coffeehouses at the age of 12. When she was 17, in the early Oughts, she moved to California, where she was signed to her first record deal and placed songs on several film soundtracks.
Steve Earle finished his recent show at The Birchmere by playing “Pilgrim.” The song was recorded as the closing track on the The Mountain, his 1999 foray into bluegrass that saw him collaborating with The Del McCoury Band. Earle told the audience that he wrote the song for the funeral of Roy Huskey, Jr., who he called “the best doghouse bass player in Nashville.”
Over the years, Steve said, he and Emmylou Harris have “repurposed” the song, but “tonight I’m going to play it for its original purpose, and I’ll probably play it on every night of this tour.”
