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The Pietasters (Photo courtesy the artist)
It’s the Annual Pie Party, and you’re invited! That’s right — ska collective The Pietasters take over 9:30 Club once a year, and this year, Stephen Jackson and company throw a big ol’ party on Saturday, Dec. 28. You can win tickets to go with Parklife DC.
Ex Hex (Photo by Ryan Floring)
It’s the time of year when the concert schedule slows down, and those yearning for a good show don’t have many, if any, options. If you’re in Baltimore, you won’t have that problem when Ex Hex break it down at Ottobar on Saturday, Dec. 14. Like most bands, Ex Hex wrapped touring earlier this year, but the DC power pop band still have the Ottobar date, rescheduled from a missed show over the summer.
Rose Riot performs at Union Stage on Nov. 19, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
Should ever you found yourself in DC listening to a local cover band that isn’t White Ford Bronco, odds are that you’ve been struck by the blonde lightning bolt that is Cathy DiToro. The vocalist and guitarist appears regularly in ’80s coverband The Legwarmers, ’00s coverband So Fetch, and ska partyband Party Like It’s.
In addition to raising money to support women in music as chief of Project HERA, Cathy has been honing some original tunes as a solo artist for a while. So, it’s only natural that she would assemble a band to play more originals. Rose Riot, that very band, started playing around DC in November, and the quartet opened Letters to Cleo at Union Stage recently.
People’s Blues of Richmond performs at Pearl Street Warehouse on Nov. 15, 2019. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
With their unique and face-melting blend of rock, punk, psychobilly, and psychedelia, People’s Blues of Richmond blew into Pearl Street Warehouse on a chilly recent night and proceeded to burn the place down. Known affectionately to their fans as PBR, this power trio hails from Richmond, Virginia. Described as Jimi Hendrix meets MC5, their website calls the music “psychedelic blues rock.” To the packed Pearl Street Warehouse crowd, descriptions didn’t matter; PBR simply rocked.
Montree and Lisa J of November Morning at The Wharf on Sept. 28, 2019. (Photos by Mark Caicedo)
I’m regularly reminded of the perseverance, determination, and drive that musicians possess — the hours on the road, the uncertainty of audience acceptance, and even when it may all seem pointless, the energy to keep going. It’s not just new, young artists hungry for success who may harbor doubts; that insecurity can afflict anyone at any time. And although talent is indispensable, hard work, a creative spark, and the urge to share are key to overcoming those doubts.
But it sure doesn’t show if local DC duo Lisa J and Montree, together known as November Morning, possess any hesitancy.
SHAED performs at 9:30 Club on Oct. 10, 2019. (Photo by Paivi Salonen)
Hometown indie pop band SHAED performed at 9:30 Club recently, and Paivi Salonen took some pictures!
Wale performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Oct. 9, 2019. (Photo by Shedrick Pelt)
“Woooow… That’s Craaaaazy” was the phrase I repeated over and over to myself, as the night built for the anxiously awaited return home for DC’s prolific son Wale! This was what it’s supposed to feel like when you’re a hometown hero. The Fillmore Silver Spring was supposed to have a line wrapped around the block. You’re supposed to bring out the homies Q Da Fool & Young Chris. What would normally amount to a ton of pressure, didn’t phase Wale. He just feels the strength: He loves his city and it loves him.
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