Author Archives: Allison Grossman

PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | If you came in expecting the legendary, erratic, emotional Fiona Apple show this Friday at the Lincoln Theatre, you would have left disappointed. Instead, Apple’s and guitarist Blake Mills‘s performance was creative, walking the line between experimental and controlled, and more than quirky enough to keep the audience engaged and even surprised.

Apple and her longtime guitarist, the talented Mills, are touring on the dual-billed “Anything We Want” shows. The duo’s set lists have shown little variance across shows, featuring Apple’s well-known material alongside Mills’s original country and blues-twinged pop. Friday was no different.

On stage, Apple’s oversized blue t-shirt and messy ponytail was the aesthetic opposite of Mills’s clean-cut, conservative look. His crew neck sweater layered over a button down wouldn’t have looked out-of-place in downtown DC on a casual Friday. This visual contrast served to underscore their musical differences; his controlled vocals and strong guitar were the grounded counterweight to her impassioned grit and nervous, unpredictable energy.

Despite the consistency of their set list and theatricality with other recent shows, Friday’s performance felt produced but not over-rehearsed or stale.

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PHOTOS: RICHIE DOWNS | From the first haunting note delivered by lead vocalist Katie Stelmanis at the Black Cat on Thursday night, electronic act Austra made clear their intentions to deliver a powerful performance to an eager, enthusiastic crowd.

It didn’t hurt that the band chose to lead with “What We Done?” the first song off of their second studio album, this summer’s Olympia. Just as the song sets the stage for the thoughtful grandiosity that pervades the album, so did it preview the Canadian band’s live show.

I have seen Stelmanis’ voice called “massive,” and I cannot think of a better descriptor. A classically-trained singer with an opera background, she filled the Black Cat’s main stage more robustly than any singer I had heard there before. Perhaps surprisingly, her range beautifully complements the musical beats and electronic backings delivered by drummer Maya Postepski and bassist Dorian Wolf.

Austra kept the lights mostly dark, often obscuring the band members and keeping the focus on Stelmanis’s vocal power and the band’s music. Visually, the stage was peppered with white umbrellas, back-lit by purple or neon lights. The dramatic lighting complemented the music and was beautiful to watch, though I would have appreciated more of an opportunity to see the actual musicians on stage.

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Waiting for Savages to come on stage at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Saturday night, the anticipation was undeniable. The show had been sold out for months, their first full length album is less than three months old, and their live show has been hyped to no end since the band started performing in their native London in January 2012. It seemed inevitable that they would fall short.

The thing is, though, they fucking lived up to it. All of it.

Everything you read about Savages’ live shows is true—they wear all black. They don’t banter with the audience. They take their music seriously, and they’re good at what they do. They post notices asking fans to keep their phones in their pockets so they can experience the music—and the audience complies. And somehow, their highly acclaimed post-punk recorded tracks feel even more extraordinarily dynamic and powerful live. If you’ve even taken a passing listen to the wailing ferocity that infuses May 2013’s Silence Yourself, you know how much of a feat this is.

Just after 10:00 pm, the four band members sauntered on stage. Lead singer Jehnny Beth provided the only color in sight, her short pixie cut balanced by a swipe of bright red lipstick and rom the first note, she was mesmerizing. As expected, her interaction with the crowd between songs was minimal, but her near-constant eye contact with fans as she ran and pounded across the stage was the surprise element of the night, keeping the band grounded and engaged with their fans.

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On Tuesday night, Of Monsters and Men played to a welcoming crowd on a beautiful summer night at Merriweather Post Pavilion, their indie pop harmonies and theatricality well suited to the vastness of the space. Openers HAIM added enough just enough rebelliousness and grit to the night to keep things grounded.

Of Monsters and Men takes their production seriously, with nearly every detail of the show seemingly planned. Taking the stage with a white sheet obscuring the stage and the band members just shadows illuminated by purple lights, the band quietly started into “Dirty Paws.” As the song picked up, the sheet dramatically fell and the audience immediately transitioned from cheers to singing along.

The five piece Icelandic band, which expands to seven members when on tour, was quite a spectacle on Tuesday night. Standing center stage, singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir vaguely resembles Bjork; her seemingly-innocent face was framed by the turquoise she dyed the ends of her hair. Her co-singer and guitarist Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, sported a porkpie hat, while another guitarist donned a full tuxedo.

It was definitely odd and eclectic, but somehow endearing at the same time. Their bassist, drummer, piano player, and piano/ accordion/ trumpet player rounded out the group on stage. Backed by oversized, brightly-lit domes, it was the kind of enchanting backdrop that I wish I could recreate at home.

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It’s a long story, but I almost didn’t make it to DC9 on Sunday night. Luckily, I walked upstairs to the nearly-full venue and made my way through the crowd toward the front right before the band pushed past me to take the stage. As soon as Kitten hit their first note, I knew this was going to be one of those exciting shows where the energy sticks with you for a long time after—and that missing it would have been a mistake.

On Sunday night, the much-hyped, new wave, post-punk, dance act performed a loud, youthful set lacking in pretension and surprisingly mature and genuine. Currently touring with Paramore and having played the Fillmore Silver Spring the night before, this was a unique opportunity to see Kitten as headliner.

At this point, talking about Kitten’s youth screams cliché. Yes, the band’s frontwoman is all of 18 years old, the black underage “X” visible on her hands as she holds the mic. And yes, the remaining four band members were also born in the 1990s. But as they’ve been together for three years, have two EPs under their belt, and are readying the release of their first full-length album this summer, it’s quite a misnomer to call this band “new.” With a stage presence belying their age, Kitten makes it clear that while the members might still be young, they are at the beginning of a very long career.

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If you’ve heard one thing about Kaki King, it’s probably that her unique style of playing guitar landed her on Rolling Stone’s list of “New Guitar Gods” back in 2006. But if you haven’t seen her perform live, you probably don’t know that she has an equally enthralling stage presence, laced with witty anecdotes and just enough cursing to keep things interesting.

On the last night of her Retrospective Tour, the Atlanta-bred guitarist performed to a small but eager crowd Monday night at the Howard Theatre. Celebrating 10 years since the release of her first album Everybody Loves You, King started the night with a set of her acoustic guitar songs and then transitioned to a second, rock-influenced set with her band.

When I turned 16 years old, I convinced my parents to buy me a guitar for my birthday. After a few weeks of dedicated practice, expensive lessons, and painful calluses, I came to a realization that my parents probably knew all along: there was no way in hell I was ever going to be any good at guitar. Like my older brother before me, and my dad before him, I accepted my genetically-mandated dearth of musical talent and turned my obsession to live music instead.

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Sunday night shows can be tough – the crowd is winding down from the weekend, still recovering from last night’s hangover or this morning’s Bloody Marys, mentally preparing for the work week ahead. But this Sunday at the 9:30 Club, openers Wintersleep and main act Frightened Rabbit refused to acknowledge this reality and instead offered a night full of rock anthems and beautiful moments in between.

When I think about contemporary Canadian bands, beloved indie pop acts reigns supreme – The New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Stars. But Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Wintersleep provide a welcome divergence from the norm with their beat-driven rock sound.

Wintersleep took to the stage promptly at 8pm on Sunday with little fanfare, launching straight into their first song to a half-filled crowd at the 9:30 Club. Dressed in jeans and un-tucked button downs, the five piece band looked like any group of guys hanging out a moderately hipster-filled party. As soon as they started, it was clear that their sound was an obvious match as an opener for Frightened Rabbit. Many of the audience members who arrived early enough to hear them were legitimate fans, and those that weren’t seemed surprised to catch an opening act they might actually look up after the show.

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I wasn’t sure what to expect last Sunday night. I was seeing three Icelandic bands—one quiet singer-songwriter, one Afro-beat dance act, and one bow tie-wearing electro-pop group. At the Kennedy Center. Free. One thing was clear—there was no way Iceland Airwave’s showcase was going to be boring.

Part of the Kennedy Center’s month-long Nordic Cool festival, this was a rare chance for Washingtonians to see up-and-coming Icelandic artists Sóley, Retro Stefson, and FM Belfast.

When I arrived at the Millennium Stage an hour before the showcase started, the line for seats already stretched into the Grand Foyer. There were college-aged kids who looked like they had been picked right out of Reykjavik to be dropped in line, parents holding small children, tourists excited to see even something at the historic Kennedy Center, a few elderly folks sitting on benches. At one point, someone pointed out the Icelandic Ambassador to me. I think it’s fair to say that this wasn’t your traditional DC show scene. And the turnout was substantial enough that the crowd left standing in the back actually needed the jumbotron to see the performances.

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We all know Sigur Rós and Bjork. Later this month, the Kennedy Center and Iceland Airwaves give you the chance to hear what else Iceland’s music scene has to offer, in the form of FM Belfast, Retro Stefson, and Sóley.

If you’re anything like me, you wanted to jump a plane to Iceland the minute you saw an old friend post jealousy-inducing vacation pictures of snowy mountains, incredible waterfalls, and natural hot springs. You probably also wanted to head over the minute you first heard about Iceland Airwaves, the long-running festival for new music that inevitably ends up turning out some of the best bands you know now.

Consider yourself lucky; your wallet is catching a break this year. Instead, head to the Kennedy Center on Sunday, February 24 for a special extended Millennium Stage showcase presented by Iceland Airwaves and featuring three of Iceland’s up-and-coming musical acts: electro-pop act FM Belfast; alternative group Retro Stefson; and the quiet, beautiful songstress Sóley.

And if you’ve ever been to a Millennium Stage show, you know the best part already: you get all this free. Much better than a flight to Iceland.

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Performing the second night in a string of four sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club, one could have forgiven Grace Potter and the Nocturnals if they had taken it a bit easy. But on Friday night, Grace Potter and her band ran on stage with energy, an impressive amount of endurance, and an eagerness to please.

After a show, there are usually one or two moments that really stand out—when the guitar solo blew everyone away, or the lead singer hit the nearly impossible high note, or the ubiquitous all-crowd sing-a-long made a venue of strangers feel like a group of tight friends.

But Grace Potter and the Nocturnals didn’t give us just one of those moments on Friday night. Instead, the entire show was filled with them. As soon as they walked on stage, Potter and her talented band made it clear that this was going to be a big night for all of us, with Potter announcing, “I think this is going to be a very dirty Friday night in Washington, DC!”

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Seeing Stars play in Washington is kind of like going to see your friend’s band; they’re just grateful to have you in the room, even if the entire crowd is made up of close friends. At the 9:30 Club on Sunday night, Stars seemed just as excited to see us as we were to see them—and it showed in their beautiful and emotional performance.

With so much collective history with fellow Canadian indie rockers Broken Social Scene, including overlapping band members and shared tours, it might seem difficult to distinguish Stars as their own band with their own sound. But those fears are quickly dissipated when one listens to the duets between front man Torquil Campbell and singer and guitarist Amy Millam that characterize Stars’ sophisticated pop sound. With a heavy emphasis on love and the passing of time, their best work can be challenging and moving, whether ballad or dance track.

I still remember the first time I heard “Elevator Love Letter.” I was in college, and it was on a mix CD made for me by a boy I was hoping to date. (Remember those days?!) When the track came on, I stopped, listened, and instantly fell a little more in love with the boy. And every time I’ve heard “Elevator Love Letter” since, there is an immediate hit of comfortable, contented nostalgia that stops me in my tracks.

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At its core, Ladyhawke‘s music is edgy pop that demands its listeners sing and dance along. On Monday night, the crowd at Rock and Roll Hotel willingly complied.

When Pip Brown, the artist behind Ladyhawke, walked on stage, the first thought that crossed my mind was that it must be a prerequisite to have long, beautiful hair to be a member of her band. Surrounded by her four male bandmates – “the boys,” as she has referred to them – Pip took the stage and proceeded to play a show inspiring enough excitement that most of the audience seemed to forget it was a Monday night.

As she warned the audience from the outset, her show consisted of “mostly new stuff, and heaps of old stuff.” She played all but two songs on the newly-released Anxiety, and just as many from Ladyhawke, her 2008 debut.

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Few things in life are actually worth waiting for – but the long-anticipated third studio album from The Kooks is one of them. And you have a chance to win a pair of Pavilion tickets to see the UK pop stars with Foster the People on June 10th at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

Despite a three-year wait since their immensely successful sophomore album, The Kooks prove they still have it with 2011’s Junk of the Heart, which the The Guardian calls “winsome, highly listenable harmonic pop.”

There’s quite a line-up of hit makers joining The Kooks on Sunday at Merriweather. Complementing the British invasion-inspired band is the dance-heavy L.A. trio Foster the People, as well as New-Zealand based singer-songwriter Kimbra.

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Whoever keeps complaining about the demise of DC’s music scene should have stopped by the Mansion at Strathmore on Friday night for The Grey Area‘s release party for their new album 508.

Comprised of Jason Steinhauer on guitar and vocals and drummer Timothy Jones (TJ), Washington’s own The Grey Area manages to distinguish itself from the duos it pulls from – the likes of the Black Keys and the White Stripes – through its unique blend of power rock, blues and pop.

The band was playing as part of the Mansion at Strathmore’s Friday Night Eclectic series, advertised as “the hip party you would host – if you lived in a mansion with an art gallery, a cool band, and a bartender.”

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