Interview: Zach Lupetin of The Dustbowl Revival (@ The Hamilton Live, 8/20/22)

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Ari Strauss in Interview, Preview and tagged Americana, California, funk, Interview, Los Angeles, soul, The Dustbowl Revival, The Hamilton, The Hamilton Live.

The Dustbowl Revival (Photo by Bob Turton)

The Dustbowl Revival has been hard at work on new music! And frontman Zach (aka. Z.) Lupetin shared some of his personal experiences of family on life via his Instagram account in the lead up to his band hitting the road again!

Locally, The Dustbowl Revival appear at The Hamilton Live in DC on Saturday, Aug. 20, and Parklife DC’s Ari Strauss emailed a few questions to Zach to ask him about life, love, and music. Zach generously provided some answers prior to The Dustbowl Revival’s return to DC.

Live Interview: Midge Ure (@ 9:30 Club, 7/19/22)

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Mickey McCarter in Interview, Preview and tagged 9:30 Club, England, Interview, Midge Ure, new wave, sophistipop.

Midge Ure (Photo courtesy Chuff Media)

The 9:30 Club encapsulated its upcoming night of highly intellectual dance music perfectly:

“Ah, sophisti-pop: the most elegant genre from music’s most elegant decade, the ’80s. Fusing together all the best parts — both musically and aesthetically — of new wave, soul, and jazz, Howard Jones and Midge Ure (both with Ultravox and as a solo performer) came to define the sound alongside Rough Trade royalty like The Style Council, The Human League, and Scritti Politti.

“Be warned, you may experience the following side effects at a Howard Jones & Midge Ure show: 1) feeling good, 2) dancing great, and 3) looking even better!”

I couldn’t have said it any better myself. But I do get to add some dimension to the adroit concert preview by interviewing the one and only Midge Ure himself. Parklife’s Mickey McCarter chatted about his old friend Howard Jones, the resurgent and powerful Kate Bush, and his own experiences in going viral prior to his appearance at 9:30 Club on Tuesday, July 19.

Interview: Willie Nile (@ The Hamilton Live, 7/8/22)

Posted on July 1, 2022 by Mark Engleson in Interview, Preview and tagged Americana, Interview, New York City, punk, The Hamilton, The Hamilton Live, Willie Nile.

WillieNile_Cristina Arrigoni
Willie Nile (Photo by Cristina Arrigoni)

Willie Nile is a New York City-based singer-songwriter whose recording career span reaches back to 1980. He’s hard to place in an a precise genre, as his influences range from Bob Dylan to Lou Reed, and he’s also covered The Clash. He’s a rock ‘n’ roller who, even into his 70s, is still the same guy who wasn’t afraid to fight the record companies in a legal case that set a precedent.

But he’s also a trained pianist who can just as easily do a ballad as he might just rock out. His work finds a great balance between raw musculature and cerebral refinement, managing to thread in literary and cultural references without pretension. It’s rock with brains — it sounds great, and there’s steak to go with the sizzle.

Willie released a new album, The Day the Earth Stood Still, last year, and now he’s on tour. Willie and his band perform at DC’s The Hamilton Live on Friday, July 8, and Parklife DC’s Mark Engleson talked to him in advance of that show.

Interview: Near Northeast (@ Songbyrd Music House, 7/1/22)

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Mark Caicedo in Interview, Local Spotlight, Preview and tagged DC, folk, Interview, Near Northeast, Songbyrd Music House.

***Near Northeast performs live. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)***

Near Northeast (NNE), one of Washington, DC’s most fascinating, unique, and talented bands will perform for the last time in a farewell show at Songbyrd Music House on Friday, July 1. NNE has been making music for the past eight years, produced four albums, and toured throughout the USA and Europe.

The band’s four members each brought a unique musical resume that resulted in songs with influences from Appalachia, blues-based rock, Bosnian folk songs, and Eno-like electronics. They are Austin Blanton: vocals, electric and stand-up bass, pocket operator, volca keys, organelle; Avy M: vocals, guitars, banjo, mandolin; Kelly Servick: vocals, violin, cello, theremin; and Antonio Skarica: percussion.

Interview: LP (@ The Anthem, 5/6/22)

Posted on April 20, 2022 by David LaMason in Preview and tagged California, Interview, Laura Pergolizzi, Los Angeles, LP, pop, The Anthem.

LP (Photo courtesy Tell All Your Friends PR)

There are people who just seem born with innate talents. Some have a way with public speaking or knowing how to fix things, and others, like Laura Pergolizzi — known professionally as LP — feel destined to create music and, as we discussed in an interview, perform.

Parklife’s David LaMason has tracked LP through their career. He’s watched LP visit DC to perform at small clubs like U Street Music Hall and now to command the stage at The Anthem on Friday, May 6.

In this interview, LP chats with David about the challenges of performing in the advent of a pandemic, their new record, Churches, and their writing process.

Interview: Andy McCluskey of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (@ Lincoln Theatre, 4/26/22)

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Mickey McCarter in Preview and tagged Andy McCluskey, England, Interview, Lincoln Theatre, Liverpool, new wave, OMD, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, synthpop.

Andy McCluskey (right) with fellow OMD co-founder Paul Humphreys (Photo courtesy Tell All Your Friends PR)

English new wavers Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, aka OMD, celebrated the 40th anniversary of their self-titled debut album in 2020. Of course, they weren’t able to tour a career retrospective at that time due to pandemic lockdowns. But they are back again now to tour North America in what promises to be a thrilling show.

Celebrating hits across their career, OMD performs at the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, April 26, the fourth stop on what promises to be a memorable greatest hits tour. Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass), Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), Martin Cooper (keyboards, saxphone, etc.), and Stuart Kershaw (drums) promise a big production — the sort of which they usually only tour in Europe. Also on display naturally will be the band’s rare genius — their combination of thoughtful and intellectual music that also truly inspires you to dance the night away.

Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter recently chatted with OMD frontman Andy McCluskey about 40 years of OMD, his working relationship with his co-writer Paul, and his personal art collection. Oh, and Andy shared some info about a new album as well!

Interview: Steve Hackett (@ Warner Theatre, 4/13/22)

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Mickey McCarter in Preview and tagged England, Genesis, Interview, progressive rock, Steve Hackett, Warner Theatre.

Steve Hackett (Photo by Howard Rankin)

Progressive rock and guitar legend Steve Hackett revisits his stellar work with Genesis as he launches the North American leg of his Genesis Revisited: Seconds Out + More Tour. He’s in Canada this week, and he soon arrives in the USA!

As advertised, the show will feature the 1977 Genesis live album Seconds Out performed in full, plus additional Genesis classics and standouts from Steve’s latest album, Surrender of Silence. Steve arrives in DC to perform at the Warner Theatre on Wednesday, April 13.

Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter had the honor to speak with Steve Hackett briefly about the tour, his amazingly productive time in pandemic lockdown, and the show at the Warner Theatre.

Interview: Eyelids (@ Comet Ping Pong, 3/26/22)

Posted on March 14, 2022 by Mark Caicedo in Uncategorized and tagged Comet Ping Pong, Eyelids, Interview, Oregon, Portland, power pop.

Eyelids perform at Black Cat on Nov. 19, 2017. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)

The last time Parklife DC talked to Chris Slusarenko of Eyelids was back in February 2019. At the time, Eyelids had started a musical project with Larry Beckett, famed poet and lyricist for singer songwriter Tim Buckley, slated to become “The Accidental Falls” (Jealous Butcher Records). Released at the beginning of 2020, the band was on the verge of mounting an extensive tour in support of the new album when the world shut down. We all know what happened next: tours were canceled, music venues shut down, and audiences went into isolation.

Now as music venues open and audiences return, Eyelids is once again heading out on the road, this time with a new bandmember and a renewed sense of gratitude, awareness, and optimism. After the stress and chaos we’re experienced since March of 2020, most of us have come to appreciate just how precious is the gift of music, and the joy of live performance — a feeling not lost on Eyelids’ members. In addition to Chris, we also had the pleasure of speaking with guitarist John Moen and new bass player Victor Krummenacher (Monks of Doom, Camper Van Beethoven).

Mark Caicedo of Parklife DC caught up with Chris Slusarenko, John Moen, and Victor Krummenacher of Portland-based power pop band Eyelids, prior to the group’s performance at Comet Ping Pong on Saturday, March 26!

Interview: Joshua Radin (@ The Birchmere, 3/18/22)

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Mark Engleson in Uncategorized and tagged Cleveland, folk, Interview, Joshua Radin, Ohio, singer-songwriter, The Birchmere.

Joshua Radin (Photo by Catie Laffoon)

Joshua Radin is a singer-songwriter, originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio, who has been writing songs, performing, and recording music for the last 17 years. He’s appearing at The Birchmere on Friday, March 18. Josh and talked to Parklife DC’s Mark Engleson about their shared Ohio roots, finding your creative heart, and life on the road.

Interview: Midge Ure (@ City Winery, 11/2/21)

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Mickey McCarter in Preview and tagged City Winery, folk, Glasgow, Interview, Midge Ure, new romantic, new wave, Scotland, Ultravox.

Midge Ure (Photo courtesy Erika Tooker)

Midge Ure, the legendary voice of new romantic outfit Ultravox, returns to the United States for a fresh solo tour this month. Taking time off his successful livestream series, Midge presents “Un-Zoomed And Face To Face” at City Winery DC on Tuesday, Nov. 2!

And speaking of Zoom, Parklife DC’s Mickey McCarter recently chatted with Midge via Zoom to get details on the tour and all of Midge’s other current creative endeavors.