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Dance to Interpol at Liberation Dance Party (Photo courtesy Matador Records)
Going to Interpol at The Anthem or Metric at The Fillmore Silver Spring? Keep the party going after either show with Liberation Dance Party, the video event that introduced the music of both bands to the DMV! Dance the night away at DC9 on Friday, Feb. 15, with no cover!
Of Montreal thrills a packed Ottobar on Oct. 24, 2018. (Photo by David LaMason)
Of Montreal, the band fronted by the charismatic and wildly creative Kevin Barnes, has been going strong through various permutations for more than 20 years. The Athens, Georgia-born band has released 15 full length albums (not including EPs and singles) — during that time, they’ve experimented with styles (straight ahead pop à la Beatles to country tinged Americana to dance).
Although the songwriting is brilliant and the songs tough to get out of your head, the band’s live show (and by “show” I mean it in the most literal sense) has come to be Of Montreal’s signature, and that show arrived at Ottobar on Oct. 24.
Carly Rae Jepsen performs at All Things Go Fall Classic on Oct. 7, 2018. (Photo by Brenda Reyes)
Day two of the All Things Go Fall Classic flowed with the same energy from the night before. The line-up was still dominated by women on Sunday, Oct. 7, leading to Carly Rae Jepsen closing out the day. But before Carly’s set, there were plenty of sets to be discovered throughout the day.
Belly (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
In May, Boston jangle poppers Belly released Dove, their first new album in more than 20 years! Belly will perform at 9:30 Club on Saturday, Sept. 29, and you can win tickets to go with Parklife DC.
Sylvan Esso dazzles a packed The Anthem on July 26, 2018. (Photo by David LaMason)
There’s a magic that Amelia Meath (vocals) and Nick Sanborn (producer/sound engineer) create. It’s an infectious feeling generated by Amelia’s compelling voice and energetic dance moves — itself buoyed by the soundscapes formed and molded by Nick’s panel of sounds. Over the past two LPs (2014’s self-titled Sylvan Esso and last year’s What Now), the North Carolina-based Sylvan Esso created beat-soaked tunes that stick in your head. But it’s their live show that’s a force to behold.
On Thursday night at The Anthem, the duo pulled no punches.
Lucy Dacus performs at the Ottobar on July 11, 2018. (Photo by David LaMason)
There’s something to be said for artistry within art. Art is an act of creation, but the process of creating art can itself be something to behold and appreciate. On Historian, the second full-length LP from Richmond-based musician Lucy Dacus, you can almost see the interconnecting layers being pieced together to create these stories. And you could certainly hear them live at Ottobar on Wednesday.
Sylvan Esso (Photo courtesy Paradigm Talent Agency)
Sylvan Esso, the electropop duo of Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, released What Now, their second studio album in 2017, and this year the band released a new single — “PARAD(w/m)E.” Sylvan Esso soon start a summer tour, and they will perform at The Anthem on Thursday, July 26.
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