Brooklyn

Interview: Bill Frisell (New Album: Valentine)

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Bill Frisell Trio (Photo by Monica Jane Frisell)

Few musicians have demonstrated an eternal devotion to the exploration and discovery of sound like Bill Frisell. The 69-year-old made a name for himself as a studio guitarist for ECM Records in the 1980s and went on to become a tremendously influential presence on the New York City jazz scene working with John Zorn, Paul Motian, John Scofield, and many others on a long list of projects.

Guided by his life-long pursuit of melody, Bill left the City in 1988, intentionally breaking out of the walls of jazz he’d constructed around himself, and moved to the West Coast, but his desire to create new music would take him all over the globe.

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Song of the Day: “Underneath” by Gracie and Rachel

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Gracie and Rachel (Photo by Tonje Thilesen)

Gracie and Rachel announce their hotly anticipated sophomore album Hello Weakness, You Make Me Strong, a cathartic near-psychological sonic exploration through the mind that will be released September 18th via Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records.

The alchemic pairing of keyboardist-vocalist Gracie Coates and violinist Rachel Ruggles celebrate the announcement with the release of the compelling visual companion to album cut, “Underneath.”

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Interview: Scott Terry (of Red Wanting Blue)

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Scott Terry, frontman for Red Wanting Blue, on stage at Gypsy Sally’s, May 4, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss)

Scott Terry is a road warrior. Red Wanting Blue, the Columbus, Ohio-based band he founded in 1996 while a student at Ohio University, has spent the better part of two-plus decades on what seems like a perpetual tour.

Comprised of Eric Hall on lead guitar, Dean Anshutz on drums and percussion, Greg Rahm on keys and guitar, Mark McCullough on bass, and Scott on lead vocals and ukulele, Red Wanting Blue regularly plays 200 or more live shows a year.

With no touring scheduled due to the national coronavirus emergency, Scott chatted with Parklife DC’s Ari Strauss from Brooklyn about his thoughts and activities during the lockdown.

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Live Review: Matt and Kim @ 9:30 Club — 11/20/19

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Matt and Kim light up 9:30 Club on Nov. 20, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

In 2009, Brooklyn indie pop duo Matt and Kim released Grand, their sophomore album, and party bands were never the same again. The couple celebrated 10 years of the record by playing it in its entirety in a super sold-out show at 9:30 Club recently.

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Live Review: Big Thief @ 9:30 Club — 11/10/19

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Big Thief performs at the 9:30 Club on Nov. 10, 2019. (Photo by David LaMason)

Big Thief is one of those bands that is as true to the idea of a band as can be. Each time I’ve seen them, I come away with the feeling that each piece of the whole works so well together. And that cohesion over each record seems to get tighter and seem like second nature. Even when, as she did Sunday night to a sold out audience at the 9:30 Club, singer/guitarist Adrianne Lenker started the evening solo for a newish song “Zombie” (which has been in rotation for their live shows for the last year or so). The rest of the band focused their attention as if performing along through some telepathy.

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Live Review: Kishi Bashi @ Lincoln Theatre — 11/8/19

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KishiBashi6Kishi Bashi captivates a sold out Lincoln Theatre on Nov. 8, 2019 (Photo by David LaMason)

There are performances that are good, some are great, and then there are the transcendent ones that leaves you a little different than when you came in. Kaoru Ishibashi (who performs under the name Kishi Bashi) created an experience that is both musically and visually compelling — moving the audience to feel like a part of what was going on there on the stage — as was the case of Friday night’s performance within the crowded walls of the Lincoln Theatre.

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Live Review: Dirty Projectors @ 9:30 Club — 9/8/19

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Dave Longstreth and Nat Baldwin of Dirty Projectors play at the 9:30 Club on Sept. 8, 2019. (Photo by Brenda Reyes)

Dirty Projectors‘ joint tour with Deerhunter finally came to the 9:30 Club for a fulfilling night recently —  both bands are no strangers to DC.  Dirty Projectors had just played last summer 2018 for their latest album Lamp Lit Prose. 

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