Preview: Aaron Shneyer @ Pearl Street Warehouse — 5/15/22

Posted on 05/06/2022 by Ari Strauss in Local Spotlight, Preview and tagged Aaron Shneyer, DC, Pearl Street Warehouse, roots, soul.

DC musician Aaron Shneyer will host an album release event for “Love Rebellion,” at Pearl Street Warehouse, Sunday, May 15, 2022. (Photo courtesy of aaronshneyer.com)

DC-based soul/roots musician Aaron Shneyer recently released his new album Love Rebellion, which culminates a 12-year journey jumping worlds between Israelis and Palestinians, jumping to some other continents, meeting himself, and finding life’s partner.

Aaron will hold his official album release concert at Pearl Street Warehouse in DC’s wharf neighborhood on Sunday, May 15. He will be joined on stage by a powerhouse group of DC’s finest jazz, gospel, funk, world music and reggae musicians.

Live Review: Marilyn Hucek @ Songbyrd Music House — 5/3/22

Posted on 05/06/2022 by Ari Strauss in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged DC, Marilyn Hucek, New York City, pop, Songbyrd Music House.

Marilyn Hucek encourages her fans to sing along during her DC debut at Songbyrd Music House, May 3, 2022. (Photo by Ari Strauss)

As long as she can recall, Marilyn Hucek has had one dream: to be a pop star. The pursuit of that dream advanced to a new chapter on a recent evening when Marilyn made her DC debut as the headliner at Songbyrd Music House in DC’s hip Union Market neighborhood.

Preview: Marilyn Hucek @ Songbyrd Music House, 5/3/22

Posted on 04/25/2022 by Ari Strauss in Local Spotlight, Preview and tagged DC, Marilyn Hucek, pop, Songbyrd Music House.

DMV native Marilyn Hucek makes her DC debut Tuesday, May 3, 2022, at Songbyrd Music House. (Photo courtesy of Marilyn Hucek)

Rising pop artist Marilyn Hucek makes her hometown DC debut on Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at Songbyrd Music House.

Live Review: Luna Honey @ DC9 — 2/26/22

Posted on 03/09/2022 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged DC, DC9, drone, Luna Honey, post-punk.

Luna Honey performs at DC9 on Feb. 26, 2022. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

(Editor’s Note: It’s been longer than we would like since this show but Luna Honey are a wildly innovative and important DC band, and so we present this belated review of a recent concert.)

Experimental rock trio Luna Honey opened a recent turn at DC9 with a droning, wheezing, foreboding dirge of a song called “The Sky Is Blue” from their most recent album, and immediately enthralled the growing crowd gathering for a night of post-punk bands.

Live Review: Public Figures @ DC9 — 2/25/22

Posted on 03/03/2022 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged DC, DC9, Public Figures, punk.

Public Figures perform at DC9 on Feb. 25, 2022. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Punk duo Public Figures rock out in the very best way, throwing drum and bass into a classic punk rock mix that inspires the audience to dance your way out the door while flipping the bird to the world.

At DC9 recently, Public Figures opened fellow punks Weird Babies, and the world, or at least the personal hubris of those who live in it, was squarely in their sights as they thumped away to the beat of songs from their debut album, Year of the Garada, released last year during the pandemic lockdown.

Around Town: Vote in the Wammie Awards Thru 1/31/22

Posted on 01/03/2022 by Parklifer in Around Town, Local Spotlight and tagged awards program, DC, Wammie Awards, Wammies.

As of today, music audiences across the Washington DC region can vote for The 2022 Wammie Awards.

To date, The MusicianShip Wammie Awards has received hundreds of nominations for more than 60 music award categories representing 2021’s best music releases, talent, and community impact from the region’s music industry.

Vote today for your favorite DC artist or band!

Preview: One Way Out @ DC9, 12/17/21

Posted on 12/14/2021 by Parklifer in Local Spotlight, Preview and tagged blues, classic rock, DC, DC9, One Way Out, psychedelic.

One Way Out (Photo by Carter Louthian)

Young guns One Way Out released The Sun, The Moon, The Truth back in August and toured around the east coast. They return for a hometown show at DC9 on Friday, Dec. 17!

Live Review: The Owners @ Comet Ping Pong — 12/9/21

Posted on 12/14/2021 by Mickey McCarter in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged Ben Eisendrath, Comet Ping Pong, DC, power pop, The Owners.

Dante Ferrando drums in The Owners at Comet Ping Pong on Dec. 9, 2021. (Photos by Ben Eisendrath)

Longtime fans of DC nightclub Black Cat — and good indie music in general — were greeted by a surprise when we emerged from pandemic lockdowns a few months ago. The Cat’s founders, Dante Ferrando and Catherine Ferrando, and longtime bartenders, Al Budd and Laura Harris, had formed a quartet.

They called themselves The Owners and sharpened their songs in the Black Cat itself as a ready rehearsal space while it was closed to the public. The results are pretty damn catchy, as evidenced in their most recent performance in a sold-out show with Bad Moves at Comet Ping Pong.

Live Review: Oh He Dead @ 9:30 Club — 9/25/21

Posted on 09/29/2021 by Mark Caicedo in Live Review, Local Spotlight and tagged 9:30 Club, DC, Oh He Dead, soul.

Oh He Dead perform at 9:30 Club on Sept. 25, 2021. (Photos by Mark Caicedo)

“Poppy enough for ya…bitch?”

Those words, spoken in jest years ago between Oh He Dead’s CJ Johnson and Andy Valenti, actually signaled a dogged determination to never compromise on their dream. Saturday night, during their headlining 9:30 Club debut, the two Oh He Dead (OHD) founders related the story of demoing one of their new songs, only to be told that it wasn’t “pop” enough. That long ago, unnamed producer might be a little humbled to find that OHD has amassed an exhaustive repertoire of original and cover songs, has legions of fans around the world, and this past Saturday played to a packed 9:30 Club (only the first, no doubt, of many such appearances to come).

And judging by the crowd of swaying, dancing, and singing fans, not a single one would accuse OHD of not being “poppy” enough.

Preview: Oh He Dead @ 9:30 Club, 9/25/21

Posted on 09/23/2021 by Parklifer in Local Spotlight, Preview and tagged 9:30 Club, DC, funk, Oh He Dead, soul.

Oh He Dead (Photo courtesy 9:30 Club)

DC indie band Oh He Dead “recalls the danceability of Earth Wind and Fire, the pop genius of Prince, and the seductive, soulful groove of Sade,” said Parklife blogger Mark Caicedo in his last review of this funky quintet.

Experience that sound for yourself and catch Oh He Dead live at 9:30 Club on Saturday, Sept. 25.