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Fruition performs live (Photo courtesy Partisan Arts)
For 13 years, Portland band Fruition has been playing Americana that looks back to great bands of the ’60s and ’70s while being wholly contemporary. Influenced by the Beatles and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Fruition splits its lead vocals amongst Jay Cobb, Kellen Asebroek, and Mimi Naja, and they feature fantastic three-part harmonies. Their remarkable chemistry was on display at Union Stage in DC recently.
Fruition (Photo courtesy IPVR)
Fruition is a Portland, Oregon-based roots rock/Americana quintet whose style incorporates folk, bluegrass, and soul. Formed in 2008, they’ve released three LPs, most recently Watching It All Fall Apart. Their latest releases are a pair of EPs, Wild as the Night and Broken at the Break of Day, which will be released together one one vinyl disc. Fruition plays DC’s Union Stage on Thursday, Feb. 6.
In anticipation of that show, Parklife DC’s Mark Engleson recently interviewed Kellen Asebroek who plays guitar and piano and is one of the band’s three vocalists. Kellen and Mark discussed the band’s latest pair of EPs, their style and influences, and the band’s current tour.
Art Alexakis performs at City Winery in DC on Jan. 10, 2020. (Photo by Chris Smyth)
“Don’t you feel old being at a dinner theater and listening to ’90s rock?” the affable Art Alexakis quipped during his recent performance at City Winery DC. In the small, quiet venue, Art appeared comfortable on stage all by himself, regularly joking and telling stories to the fans in attendance.
Joseph (Photo courtesy Ticketfly)
Recently, Portland-bred sister trio Joseph release their new album, Good Luck, Kid, via ATO Records. Joseph arrive at 9:30 Club for a show on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and you can win tickets to go with Parklife DC.
Kyle Craft performs at Pearl Street Warehouse on Aug. 4, 2019. (Photo by David LaMason)
Dylan-influenced glam rocker (and Evan Peters lookalike) Kyle Craft opened his show at the Pearl Street Warehouse recently by getting political. He came out solo and played Particle Kid’s “Gunshow Loophole Blues,” a searing commentary on the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio over the weekend. (Particle Kid is the stage name of Kyle’s friend Micah Nelson, the 27-year-old son of the legendary Willie Nelson.)
The Chromatics perform at 9:30 Club on May 22, 2019. (Photos by Katherine Gaines/ AmbientEye.com; Words by Mickey McCarter)
A long anticipated album may hang over the Chromatics but the band’s performance of well-loved previous material still came like a rush of fresh air at their recent performance at 9:30 Club.
Corin Tucker fronts Filthy Friends at U Street Music Hall on May 20, 2019. (Photo by Chester Simpson)
Concerned with climate change, Corin Tucker took to side project Filthy Friends to say things that she couldn’t say in Sleater-Kinney. Playing songs from the resulting album Emerald Valley lately, Corin and REM guitarist Peter Buck drew a sizable crowd of the devout and the curious at U Street Music Hall recently.
Chromatics (Photo courtesy Motormouth Media)
Italo disco stalwarts Chromatics will perform at 9:30 Club on Wednesday, May 22, for a stop on their Double Exposure Tour. Double Exposure marks the band’s first live performances in five years!
Filthy Friends (Photo by John Clark)
Filthy Friends released their second full-length album, Emerald Valley, recently via Kill Rock Stars. The indie rock supergroup consists of Sleater-Kinney co-founder Corin Tucker, REM guitarist Peter Buck and rockers Scott McCaughey and Kurt Bloch. See them at U Street Music Hall on Monday, May 20.
The Dandy Warhols perform at 9:30 Club on May 6, 2019. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson)
The Dandy Warhols are 25? For serious? If you would have asked me back in mid-’90s, I would have said no chance. And how wrong I would have been. The Dandys have carved out a nice career for themselves, being smart about song placements for ads and video games, making friends in right places (they opened for David Bowie!), investing back into a home studio and most importantly, making a steady stream of their wonderful brand of oddball pop.
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