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Kim Petras performs at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Nov. 20, 2019. (Photo by Paivi Salonen)
Kim Petras visited The Fillmore Silver Spring on a second round of North American dates for her Clarity Tour, named for the album she released in June via BunHead. Since then, Kim released Turn Off the Light Vol. 2 in October as a follow-up to her first mixtape.
Kay Hanley fronts Letters to Cleo at Union Stage on Nov. 19, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
At about one-third of their way through their recent return to DC, Letters to Cleo played “I Got Time” from Go!, the band’s third studio album, at Union Stage.
Go!, as it turned out, was released in 1997, which was also the year Letters to Cleo last played in DC for an appearance at 9:30 Club, leading guitarist Greg McKenna to observe, “This song was new the last time we played in Washington.”
Kim Petras (Photo by Byron Spencer)
German power pop diva Kim Petras released Turn Off the Light, her second studio album, in October through her own label, BunHead. She now arrives at The Fillmore Silver Spring on Wednesday, Nov. 20, for a show on her Clarity Tour.
Letters to Cleo (Photo by Chris Sikich)
Power pop quintet Letters to Cleo came roaring back a few years ago with new music, and now Kay Hanley and company toast (or roast?) Christmas at Union Stage on Tuesday, Nov. 19!
The New Pornographers perform at the 9:30 Club on Nov. 5, 2019. (Photo by Matt Ruppert)
I remember when I first discovered The New Pornographers: My roommate blasted Twin Cinema in the late morning after classes, their adventurous pop songs flirting with the saccharine and well-balanced with touches of bitterness, surreality, and unflinching honesty. The interplay of Neko Case’s, A.C. Newman’s, and Dan Bejar’s voices added textures that allowed the songs to float from gauzy to meaty in three minutes.
The New Pornographers (Photo by Ebru Yildiz)
Canadian rockers The New Pornographers released In the Morse Code of Brake Lights, the band’s eighth studio album, in September via Collected Works Records. The group’s accompany tour takes them to the 9:30 Club, for a sold-out show, and the Lincoln Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 6!
5 Seconds of Summer frontman Luke Hemmings on stage at Capital One Arena, Oct. 15, 2019. (Photo by Ari Strauss)
5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), the power-pop band from Australia that Rolling Stone calls “the biggest new rock act in the world,” played to a packed Capital One Arena crowd recently as they opened for The Chainsmokers on their World War Joy Tour.
Dentist performs at DC9 on Sept. 29, 2019. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)
When a band is named “Dentist,” you may well be tempted to make remarks about the members’ teeth as a way to ease into a review. Well, we are going to chat a little about their eyes instead.
New Jersey surf rockers Dentist dropped by DC9 recently to open Brick + Mortar, and these folks have some damn expressive eyes to accompany their truly catchy tunes.
The Rocket Summer (Photo by Braverijah Gregg)
Bryce Avary, aka The Rocket Summer, released his first EP nearly two decades ago at the age of 17. Earlier this year, Bryce released his latest album Sweet Shivers, and he showed fans that he’s still going strong with no signs of stopping soon. The multi-instrumentalist Texas native stopped by DC’s waterfront at Union Stage recently in support of the latest album.
Eli Lev performs at the DC Music Rocks Festival on Aug. 17, 2019. (Photo by Mark Caicedo)
I’ve been following the District of Columbia’s live music scene for several years yet I’ve just barely begun to scratch the surface of the diversity, variety and joy that so many musical artists bring to this region. The same could be said about the third annual DC Rocks Music Festival recently — despite the line-up of a wonderful array of 12 bands and singer-songwriters, there is so much more to discover in our own backyard.