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Nick Mason introduces Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets at DAR Constitution Hall on April 22, 2019. (Photos by Jason Nicholson; Words by Mickey McCarter)
At DAR Constitution Hall recently, Nick Mason turned to guitarist Lee Harris as his band’s resident librarian of Pink Floyd history and asked when was the last time Pink Floyd performed in DC.
Spandau Ballet with Gary Kemp (far right) (Photo by Denis O’Regan)
Is there any more versatile performer than Gary Kemp? The charismatic musician and actor can play stadiums with his band Spandau Ballet and then light up the stage in London Theatreland. The creative genius today is on a US tour as a guitarist and vocalist for Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets, supporting the legendary drummer of Pink Floyd in a performance of the seminal psychedelic band’s early material. The supergroup will perform in DC at DAR Constitution Hall on Monday, April 22.
Mickey McCarter of Parklife DC chatted with Gary Kemp about Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets and Spandau Ballet to discuss the future of both bands and what they mean to him. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) For more information on Nick Mason, visit the website of Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets.
Regina Spektor performs at DAR Constitution Hall on March 14, 2017. (Photo by Paivi)
Despite Tuesday’s bad weather, Regina Spektor arrived in town to play a nearly sold-out show at DAR Constitution Hall that night. She performed in support of her new album, Remember Us to Life, published by Sire Records last year.
Regina Spektor (Photo courtesy Sacks & Co.)
Regina Spektor released her latest album, Remember Us to Life, last fall via Sire Records, and she makes a tour stop tonight, Tuesday, March 14, at DAR Constitution Hall.
Artist’s rendering of condo and apartment spaces in Phase 1 of The Wharf redevelopment (Art courtesy of Hoffman-Madison Waterfront)
The promotions and production company that owns the 9:30 Club yesterday revealed more details of its sister club, officially set to open on Oct. 12, 2017. Owner IMP did not disclose if the concert hall, named The Anthem, will host a band or other event that day.
The Head and the Heart (Photo Credit: James Minchin)
“We have Capri Sun backstage.” With that provocative come on, The Head and the Heart wooed the packed crowd at DAR Constitution Hall.
Moving amidst a stage peppered with potted plants and festooned with hanging white balls acting as lights, a homey setting that might have been an ode to their latest album cover, the band members clapped and stomped through their best songs for the eager spectators.
The Head and the Heart (Photo Credit Gus Black)
The Head and the Heart return to the DAR Constitution Hall on Sunday, October 22nd, touting their just released third album, Signs of Light.
Get your tickets here. As a cool bonus, when you buy your ticket online, you get a free copy of Signs of Light, either a physical CD or a digital copy.
The well received first single, “All We Ever Knew”, currently sits at #6 on Billboard’s Alternative chart and reached #1 on the AAA chart. It’s an upbeat ode to realizing that sometimes ‘it’s time to wake up’ from a dream that isn’t working.
Entertainment Weekly says about Signs of Light, “The collection is their most electric and uplifting set yet.” After listening to it a couple of times myself, I tend to agree.
The Head and the Heart is an indie folk/rock band that formed in 2009 in Seattle. The band is Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar), Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar) – who is from Richmond, VA, Charity Rose Thielen (violin, banjo), Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (piano) and Tyler Williams (drums).
I last caught The Head and the Heart perform live in DC in 2014 (at the Constitution Hall no less) and based on that experience, this is one show you don’t want to miss!
Declan McKenna, a British indie rocker, will open the show.
The Head and the Heart
w/ Declan McKenna
DAR Constitution Hall
Saturday, October 22, 2016
8:00pm
$42.50
All ages
Glen Hansard sings with a young lad live at Vicar Street in Dublin on Nov. 25, 2013. (Photo by Silvia Pititto)
Glen Hansard was determined.
“I have a friend who always ruins the moment,” Glen told an audience at DAR Constitution Hall on Saturday night. “He’s the kind of person that finds the fault in everything even when everything is going well. He’ll find that one thing that will ruin it for everybody.”
So to brighten his friend’s spirits, Glen said, he brought him along on tour. Glen also wrote a song dedicated his American friend, Thomas Bartlett, called “My Little Ruin,” which captures the spirit of being able to find that fault in everything.
Glen Hansard (Photo courtesy Sacks & Co.)
Irish folk singer Glen Hansard is well-regarded for his groundbreaking role and performance in the movie Once, and thereafter as half of The Swell Season, and he recently released his second solo album, Didn’t He Ramble, via Anti- Records.
The new album has received very good reviews, with Rolling Stone comparing Glen to another Irish great: “Didn’t He Ramble evokes a feeling similar to one of Van Morrison’s Celtic-soul fever dreams, burnishing the prevailing sense of romantic fatalism with some low-key bravado on the standout track ‘Winning Streak’ (a kissing cousin to Bob Dylan’s early-Seventies’ chestnut ‘Forever Young’).”
Glen is touring in support of the new album, and he makes a stop in DC this Saturday, Nov. 28, at DAR Constitution Hall. (Hey, St. Louis, he’s at The Pageant tonight!)
Watch the official video for “Her Mercy” from the new album on YouTube:
Don’t miss out on what is certain to be a moving show as Glen and his voice are at the top of their game. British folk artist Richard Thompson opens for Glen!
Glen Hansard
w/ Richard Thompson
DAR Constitution Hall
Saturday, Nov. 28
Show @8pm
$38
All ages
Roger Waters performs for the MusiCorps concert at DAR Constitution Hall on Friday, Oct. 16, 2015 (Photo by Peter Hutchins)
Hearing a favorite song over the air while at work is something many of us can relate to. It can provide a break from the task at hand; it can recall old friends and other times; it can lift the spirits in the middle of a long day.
In my case, the song I heard at work recently was a classic — “Comfortably Numb” by Pink Floyd. It has been a favorite since I heard it as a kid. The added bonus on this occasion was that it was being performed, right here in Omega’s Studio A, by one of the original artists, founding member Roger Waters.
Hearing the notes of the song drift through the studio control room, where I spend my working hours, made me stop for a second to just listen — and reflect. It was an immersive moment, not just for myself, but for everyone who shared in the experience. The staff of engineers at Omega Studios (5609 Fishers Ln., Rockville, Md.) put in a lot of hours and a lot of labor to make this hectic session a success, but I know that every one of us paused during the performances just to be there, to be in that moment. People need to be reminded to stop and smell the roses every now and then, to take in and experience an instant of perfection, but none of us needed a reminder on this day.
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