Olden Yolk performs at DC9 on May 11, 2018. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: Insomnigraphic/GrillworksBen)
Shane Butler (of Quilt) and Caity Shaffer formed Olden Yolk and released their self-titled debut album in February via Trouble in Mind. The band are on tour to promote the new album (with stops in Philadelphia and New York City this weekend!), and they visited DC9 on Friday, when Ben Eisendrath snapped some pictures of them in action.
Jessica Louise Dye (right) fronts High Waisted at DC9 on Saturday. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: Insomnigraphic/GrillworksBen)
New York surf rockers High Waisted visited DC9 on Saturday, surprising concert-goers like me with a new line-up! Apparently, the new band made its first public performances only recently, and Jessica Louise Dye (vocals/guitar), Jono Bernstein (drums), Andrea Scanniello (bass), and Megan Talay (guitar) dropped by DC to rock in one of the reconfigured band’s first performances!
Jessica Dye fronts High Waisted at Black Cat on April 17, 2016. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: Insomnigraphic/GrillworksBen)
NYC surf rockers High Waisted return to DC9 for a show of stupefying awesomeness on Saturday, March 3.
Peter Zaremba sings with The Fleshtones at U Street Music Hall on Oct. 20, 2017. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: Insomnigraphic/GrillworksBen)
Lower Manhattan long will be regarded as one of the epicenters of great American rock music, in particular for the bands that came out of New York in the mid-to-late ’70s. The likes of Blondie, the Talking Heads, and the Ramones burst from CBGBs and Max’s Kansas City, putting Manhattan on the musical map.
While many of Blondie’s contemporaries have faded, it came as some small surprise to me that one of the better groups of the era never took a break and still tour strong today. The Fleshtones performed at U Street Music Hall to correct my oversight on Oct. 20, and I was easily won over by their ear for really great tunes and their eye for smart stagecraft.
Dave Gahan fronts Depeche Mode at Capital One Arena on Sept. 7, 2017. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: ConspiracyCaptures/GrillworksBen)
Depeche Mode opened a stunning show with a new song called “Going Backwards” in DC on Thursday. But nearly 18,000 people at Capital One Arena (formerly Verizon Center) found themselves leaping forwards with renewed love and appreciation for a band that commands unparalleled admiration from a deeply loyal following.
For their part, Depeche Mode did not let anyone down, surpassing expectations in a blockbuster concert, where charismatic frontman Dave Gahan in particular blazed through a 22-song set with a brightness in his eye that often glittered more than his shiny rockstar boots.
English Beat perform at 9:30 Club on March 1, 2017. (Photo by Ben Eisendrath /Instagram+Twitter: GrillworksBen)
Dave Wakeling arrived in DC Wednesday in good spirits. With a mischievous grin and a boisterous attitude, Dave and his band in The English Beat appeared at 9:30 Club to enthrall a very full house with Dave’s time-tested ska, reggae, and new wave hits, which had the whole room skanking.
