Live Review: Arlo Parks @ 9:30 Club — 9/12/22

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Katie Child in Live Review and tagged 9:30 Club, Arlo Parks, England, folk, London, poetry, R&B, singer-songwriter.

Arlo Parks performs at 9:30 Club on Sept. 12, 2022. (Photo by Katie Child)

Arlo Parks is an idol to many. Her tendency to inspire, in combination with her often painfully relatable lyricism, Parks is the spitting image of what many of us aim to “grow up” to become.

A ray of sunshine through and through, Parks’ tour was not one to pass up. Coupled with the lovable crowd of DMV natives that she brought out for her show, Arlo lit up the 9:30 Club for two nights last week with a sense of warmth and comfort that we already miss.

Live Review: Portside Summer Festival @ Waterfront Park (Alexandria, VA) — 06/17-6/18/22

Posted on June 21, 2022 by Mark Caicedo in Live Review and tagged Cubano Groove, Eli Lev, Eric Byrd Trio, ilyAIMY, jazz, music festival, poetry, Portside Summer Festival, VERONNEAU, Zeina Azzam.

Eric Byrd Trio performs at Portside Summer Festival in Alexandria, Virginia. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)

What do you get when you mix breezy, sunny summer afternoons, delicious food and beverages, an eclectic selection of musical groups, set it all on the spectacular Old Town Alexandria waterfront, and then make it free admission? You get the Portside Summer Festival, a wonderful annual event, produced by Visit Alexandria in partnership with the City of Alexandria’s Office of the Arts.

Live Review: Arlo Parks @ Union Stage — 10/26/21

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Kyle Gustafson in Live Review and tagged Arlo Parks, England, folk, London, poetry, R&B, singer-songwriter, Union Stage.

Arlo Parks sings at Union Stage in DC on Oct. 26, 2021. (Photo by Kyle Gustafson)

At this Arlo Parks show and she is the truth.
— Kyle Gustafson (@kgustafson) October 27, 2021

A good, general rule to live by is when a recent winner of the Mercury Music Prize comes to your town, go see them. This certainly held up well for Arlo Parks’ sold-out appearance at Union Stage recenlty. Fresh off of an appearance at the Shaky Knees Festival in Atlanta over the previous weekend, Parks displayed talent and charisma well beyond what I expected from this 20 year-old.

Her debut album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, is a fun, airy vibe of trip-hop beats (supplied by producer Gianluca Buccellati) and Parks cooler-than-ice-cold vocals. She has an ear for a hook as well, I’m still trying to get the chorus of “Caroline” out of my head days after the show. I swear to God I tried.

Preview: Arlo Parks @ Union Stage, 10/26/21

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Parklifer in Preview and tagged England, folk, London, poetry, R&B, singer-songwriter, Union Stage.

Arlo Parks (Photo courtesy United Talent Artists)

At the beginning of this year, UK singer-songwriter Arlo Parks released Collapsed in Sunbeams, her debut full-length album, via Beatnik and Transgressive Records. Arlo now brings her Collapsed in Sunbeams Tour to Union Stage on Tuesday, Oct. 26!

Song of the Day: “I’m Always” by iAN Ottaway

Posted on June 24, 2020 by marcshea2 in Preview and tagged Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Ian Ottaway, poetry, Song of the Day.

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iAN Ottaway (Photo courtesy Revvolt Records)

You may not recognize the name iAN Ottaway (that’s EYE-an) but he’s spent a lifetime with some of the most incredible musicians and artists of the past few decades. He’s hung out with Jeff Buckley. He runs the Ask iAN page for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. He’s been friends with Mark Lanegan for almost 30 years. And that’s just the start.

That friendship with Mark Lanegan resulted in a track iAN has recently released called “I’m Always.”

Live Review: Joseph Arthur @ City Winery — 12/29/18

Posted on January 1, 2019 by David LaMason in Live Review and tagged City Winery, folk, Joseph Arthur, New West Records, Ohio, Peter Buck, poetry.

Joseph Arthur performs at City Winery on Dec. 29, 2018 (Photo by David LaMason)

Joseph Arthur is one of those songwriters that seems to have an unlimited tap of creativity. He’s an artist both visually in terms of his paintings and also in terms of his poetry and song craft. Oh, and he’s created more than 20 albums with the likes of T-Bone Burnett, Peter Gabriel, Peter Buck, Ben Harper (seriously, I could go on for some time here) and there’s no hint of him slowing anytime soon. He gave us a taste of his new work at DC’s City Winery on Saturday.

Snapshots: Jill Scott @ MGM National Harbor — 6/25/17

Posted on June 27, 2017 by chriscastilloweb in Live Review and tagged Jill Scott, MGM National Harbor, neo-soul, Philadelphia, poetry, R&B, soul, spoken word.

Jill Scott performs at The Theater at MGM National Harbor on Sunday, June 25, 2017. (Photo by Chris Castillo)

Ms. Jill Scott visited MGM National Harbor for two nights on June 24 and 25 as part of a 25-date US tour to serenade audiences with evenings of poetic soul.