funk

Live Review: Tank & The Bangas @ The Anthem — 2/29/20

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Tank and the Bangas - The Anthem DC - 02.29.20 3Tank and the Bangas performs at The Anthem on Feb. 29, 2020. (Photos by Casey Vock.)

There’s something invincible and miraculous about a musical act that never really fit into a specific genre and probably never will.

But it’s tough to understand where a record store clerk might slot albums from the Grammy-nominated Tank and the Bangas, an inexplicably fascinated posse of musicians who about eight years ago in the birthplace of jazz — the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans — and have become one of the hottest acts on tour today.

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Preview: Tank and the Bangas @ The Anthem, 2/29/20

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Tank and the Bangas (Photo by Gus Bennett Jr.)

Last year, Tank and the Bangas made their major label studio debut with Green Balloon. The band quickly blew up, scoring a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. The R&B group is now on tour opening for The Revivalists, and you should arrive early to see them when they perform at The Anthem on Saturday, Feb. 29.

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Snapshots: Saint Motel @ 9:30 Club — 2/11/20

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AJ Jackson fronts Saint Motel at 9:30 Club on Feb. 11, 2020. (Photo by Casey Vock)

A band from Los Angeles whose sound has been described as indie pop but is something much more dynamic than that, Saint Motel recently made its way to DC as part of its 2020 world tour and Parklife DC was there to shoot photographs at the sold-out 9:30 Club.

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Live Review: EarthGang and Mick Jenkins @ The Fillmore Silver Spring — 2/12/20

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EarthGang performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Feb. 12, 2020. (Photo by Shedrick Pelt)

The most courageous and enlightening part about the journey of life is the opportunity to understand more about yourself and more about what you’re capable of achieving. Self reflection goes beyond merely listing the positives and negatives of your daily pursuit. You have to activate change. You have to “spread love,” and one of the best examples in hip hop of activating destiny is Atlanta rap duo EarthGang and their Welcome To Mirrorland Tour.

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Live Review: Jake Shimabukuro @ Strathmore Music Center — 2/13/20

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Jake Shimabukuro (Photo coutesy Jensen Communications)

With a hearty “Aloha!” ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro greeted the crowd at Strathmore Music Center last night. “This hall sounds amazing,” he said. “It’s such an honor playing in this hall. You can’t play a bad note in this hall or, if you do, you hear it for a long time.”

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Live Review: Spafford @ 9:30 Club — 2/5/20

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Spafford performs at 9:30 Club on Feb. 5, 2020. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)

One of the many pleasures of blogging for Parklife DC is getting exposed to myriad types of music throughout the DC metro area. Whether it’s experiencing a new local player putting her/ his voice out there in the cacophony of great area performers or seeing established national touring bands with huge loyal followings, the thrill of documenting live music (to my mind, its purest form) is indeed a privilege. For someone like me, with a foot in the past and one stepping into the future, I get to tread a musical path that stretches out in many directions.

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