The Sounds

Snapshots: Parklife DC More Best Pictures of 2016

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Savages @ 930 Club 26 Savages at 9:30 Club on March 27, 2016 (See the full blog)

As we wrap up 2016 here at Parklife DC, we looked back on our best concert photos of the year, where reviewed our 10 (actually 11) favorite photos on our blog.

But while Paivi and Kristie considerably brightened up our blog with their pictures, Theresa C. Sanchez and myself also have been out there photographing some concerts. So now we are rounding up the best of the rest to present some cool photos that Theresa and I captured over the year as well.

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Music Park: Parklife DC Top 10 Concerts of 2016 by Mickey

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CHVRCHES 008 Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches sings at Echostage on Oct. 17, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

I’ll confess that I’m a man whose taste in music is readily apparent. If you have new wave tunes to play, particularly from 1976-86, I’m going to show up and listen to them. That said, a number of incredible legacy new wave bands happened to travel through the DC metro area over the past year, and I took the opportunity to review them for our humble blog.

That said, a number of younger bands definitely broke through and seized my attention, most notably Canada’s Operators, who were the most exciting new band I’ve seen in some time. As with Operators, many of the best performances I witnessed in 2016 came from bands whose leaders are among the Masters of Synthpop, and so I have dedicated a postscript of really great synthpop shows that may have “missed” the top 10 but otherwise deserve a lot of applause.

Check out my top 10 list of concerts I saw for Parklife DC. (Click on the concert slugline to revisit the full review.)

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Music Park: My Jerusalem @ 9:30 Club — 11/28/16

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Jeff Klein of My Jerusalem performs at the 9:30 Club on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

My Jerusalem kicked off a short set with a bluesy guitar rock number “Young Leather” from their new album, A Little Death, on Monday at the 9:30 Club.

It is a fine showcase for the rumbling guitar sound of band leader Jeff Klein, who surely plays in a post-punk style but with overtones of Americana and blues. I personally swear I hear some Roy Orbison, an inspiration for My Jerusalem, and occasionally some Bruce Springsteen in the man’s voice.

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Music Park: The Sounds @ 9:30 Club — 11/28/16

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 The Sounds impress mightily at the 9:30 Club on Monday, Nov. 28, 2016. (Photo by Mickey McCarter)

Ten years is a long time, and a lot can change over those years. Just ask Maja Ivarsson, the tough-yet-sexy vocalist for The Sounds. She’s on tour with her two-year-old son right now!

But maybe it’s true that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Ten years ago, Maja looked almost exactly the same when The Sounds toured the United States in support of their breakthrough album, Dying to Say This to You. To mark that achievement a decade ago, The Sounds returned to the 9:30 Club Monday night to perform the entire album and other music to a very full house that gave the Swedish quintet a rapturous reception — as if it were 2006 all over again.

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Don’t Miss: My Jerusalem (Opening for The Sounds) @ 9:30 Club, 11/28/16

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My Jerusalem (Photo by Steve Gullick)

The Sounds are touring on the 10th anniversary of their breakthrough album Dying to Say This to You, and they are bringing along some exciting openers when they appear at the 9:30 Club on Monday, Nov. 28.

The first of those openers My Jerusalem, a post-punk quartet, hails from Austin. My Jerusalem released their third full-length album, A Little Death, via Razor & Tie in June, and they initially hit the road to tour with Eliot Sumner and the Psychedelic Furs.

The new album garnered critical praise for band founder Jeff Klein and company, with Noisey proclaiming, “It is, as Klein’s music always has been, a dark and tormented affair, but it’s also one infused with black humor as well as an infectious sense of emotional defiance.”

Watch the official music video for “Rabbit Rabbit” from A Little Death by My Jerusalem on YouTube:

Said Jeff in a press release: “We’ve taken great care to make sure the live show presents the new songs with the intense, heady cocktail of romance and violence they deserve. I can’t fucking wait to leave it on the stage every night.”

Jeff has reason to be excited as he has solidified the band’s lineup with Grant Van Amburgh (drums), Kyle Robarge (bass), and Jon Merz (guitar, keys, horns).

Surely, that should convince you to get to the 9:30 Club early for My Jerusalem! And Zipper Club, featuring Lissy Trullie, are along for the ride as well. (Read our preview of Zipper Club.) Tickets are available online.

My Jerusalem
Opening for The Sounds
w/ Zipper Club
9:30 Club
Monday, Nov. 28
Doors @7pm
$25
All ages

Ticket Giveaway: The Sounds @ 9:30 Club, 11/28/16

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The Sounds (Photo courtesy Reybee Inc.)

Hands down, the best album of 2006 came from a new wave quintet out of Sweden. The Sounds burst onto the American indie rock scene with their second album, Dying to Say This to You.

Dying to Say This to You won a wide audience for the band’s lead vocalist Maja Ivarsson and her talented bandmates — Félix Rodríguez (guitar), Jesper Anderberg (keyboards, piano, guitar), Johan Bengtsson (bass), and Fredrik Blond (drums). And The Sounds remember well what a great album it was, so they have embarked on a 10th anniversary Dying to Say This to You tour of the United States. That tour stops at the 9:30 Club on Monday, Nov. 28, and you can win tickets to go see the show!

Watch the official music video for “Song with a Mission” from Dying to Say This to You by The Sounds on YouTube:

*Your* mission is to win a pair of tickets to see The Sounds! Parklife DC is giving away a pair of tickets to see The Sounds at the 9:30 Club. To win these tickets, leave a comment on this blog. You can leave any comment, but we would like to hear your favorite song by The Sounds.

For the rules of this giveaway–

Comments will be closed at 5pm on Friday, and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours, or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner. We will email you instructions on claiming your ticket. Good luck!

If you don’t win, tickets are available online.

The Sounds
w/ Zipper Club, My Jerusalem
9:30 Club
Monday, Nov. 28
Doors @7pm
$25
All ages

TheSounds_Flyer