Author Archives: Richie Downs

Sunday night the 9:30 Club played host to the Boise based, indie-rock outfit, Built to Spill whose pioneering sounds and style attracted DC fans who packed venue. 

For the performance, Built to Spill took a minimalist approach to their stage setup making colossal use of just two small guitar stations for both singer/guitarist Doug Martsch and bassist Jason Albertini while drummer Steve Gere was set up far stage left. Simply spare lighting and no frills—just the music.

As pared down as their production was for Sunday night’s performance, the band has a large presence. Known for their catchy guitar rhythms and clever songwriting, it was incredibly satisfying to see an act just deliver their material to an eager audience. Touring to promote their eighth studio album, Untethered Moon (Warner Brothers) which was released on Record Store Day in 2015, Built to Spill will be touring the US extensively through November.

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For the DC stop on their current “Rock or Bust” tour, legendary rockers AC/DC made the Verizon Center their home Saturday night with a fast paced set for a packed arena.

When AC/DC comes to town, they really go all the way. For DC’s largest indoor music venue, the band brought an ungodly amount of stage production that included a literal wall of Marshall amp cabinets, an enormous catwalk that split the floor of the stadium in half, enough lights and fog for ten more arena tours, and a giant set of Angus Young’s trademark devil horns that towered over the stage in a half circle of steel.

The most noticeable component to AC/DC’s current tour configuration is that vocal duties have been handed to Axl Rose of the infamous, hard-rocking Los Angeles outfit, Guns N’ Roses. Rose has essentially replaced the band’s long-time singer, Brian Johnson, for their current tour. Johnson, who is AC/DC’s third singer, took over vocal duties in 1980 and is not participating in this tour due to issues with his hearing.

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San Francisco rock outfit, Train brought their crisp, progressive tones to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Saturday night along with an energetic performance from opening act Andy Grammer.

Train’s commercial success dates back to the ’90s with the hit single “Meet Virginia” from their 1998 debut album. The band’s second release scored two Grammy Award wins for the single “Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)” in 2002, and Train’s third studio album, My Private Nation was certified platinum with the release of the hit “Calling All Angels” in 2003. Judging by the droves of fans that lined the grounds at Merriweather on Saturday, it’s clear that this band still touches the hearts of many who flock to see them.

While the band’s lineup has changed over the years, their core remains intact with band mates Jimmy Stafford and lead singer Patrick Monahan conducting this train. The current lineup includes Jerry Becker, Luis Maldonaldo, Hector Maldonado, Drew Shoals, and Nikita Houston and Sakai Smith on backing vocals. Live, Train’s sound is clean and refreshing and they are completely in their element on stage.

When Andy Grammer walked into the spotlight to get the night started he brought an overdose of charisma and charm that was matched by the sheer talent of his backing band. Grammer, a multi-instrumentalist, played the piano, trumpet, guitar, showcased his dancing abilities, and set the evening off with proverbial panache.

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Wednesday evening Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD played host to an onslaught of hard rock from some of the best bands in the business—of rock. Carnival of Madness, the annual hard rock tour that launched in 2010, brought their 2016 lineup to shake things up in Merriweather’s Symphony Woods.

Jacksonville, Florida based hard-rock ensemble Shinedown was the festival’s main attraction. Touring to promote their 2015 release Threat to Survival, the band served up a super energetic and dramatic performance whose setlist included “Fly From The Inside,” “Unity,” “Asking For It,” “I’ll Follow You,” “45,” “Sound of Madness,” “Creep” (Radiohead cover) and their famous rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.”

Prior to Shinedown was Halestorm, the Pennsylvania based outfit featuring brother and sister Lzzy and Arejay Hale. Lzzy—known for her amazing guitar leads and her huge vocal range—together with the band delivered a non stop barrage. Halestorm’s latest release, 2015’s Into the Wild Life is the band’s third studio album and was been acclaimed by rock critics upon its release. Since hearing “I Am The Fire,” “I Like It Heavy,” “Mayhem,” and “Amen” performed live, I can see why this album has been called earthshaking. Halestorm blew me away.

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For the third stop on their current “Farewell” tour, The Go Go’s choose the lovely Warner Theatre for a landmark moment—the band’s last Washington, DC appearance. In tow was LA’s Best Coast. 

38 years since their debut album Beauty and the Beat arrived, the LA based new wave outfit has had more than their share of success and are among a small club of musicians who can claim legendary status. The fact is, The Go Go’s have pioneered the way for countless all-female bands.

Their ’81 release sold more than 3 million copies and achieved triple platinum awards, as well as retaining the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 for 6 consecutive weeks in a decade full of great music. Their follow up album, 1982’s Vacation, was certified gold in the US and the album’s title track was another top 10 Billboard success. A year later Vacation was even nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Packaging for the LP’s iconic cover.

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Oh Wonder, the London-based alt-pop duo made the 9:30 Club the DC stop on their current tour, bringing with them the brilliant dream-pop sounds of Los Angeles’s own LANY in tow. 

Oh Wonder consists of bandmates Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West who since 2014 have been touring extensively to promote their debut self titled release which was delivered one song at a time for one year. In tandem with their fluid electronic beats and rhythms, the unique vocals are the center point of this band and it’s easy to get swept away in the band’s sound and music.

LANY, a three piece unit was surprisingly energetic and seemed to have an instant rapport with the audience. Paul Jason Klein, lead vocalist in the band, humbly admitted his love for DC and that it was an honor to play the 9:30 Club. It was a pleasure to hear the combination of natural instruments with the electronic keys and waves of generated sounds. Touring to promote their newest single “Yea, Babe, No Way,” the band has finished their fourteen day stint on the road with Oh Wonder. They have two EPs available on vinyl here.

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Last Saturday, the 141st running of the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Raceway in Baltimore brought with it Budweiser InfieldFest—a smorgasbord of musical offerings from country to rock, from electronic-dance to hip hop.

Headlining the day’s performances were The Chainsmokers from New York City, Willie Maxwell II—also known as Fetty Wap, and Canadian DJ Frank Walker on the main stage. The Jägermeister Stage located at the opposite end of the infield hosted Baltimore locals All Time Low, and for country music fans, openers Chris Janson and Corey Smith.

Finding little reprieve from the rain and the muddy grounds of the infield at Pimlico, attendees didn’t seem to mind sticking it out through every performance. Despite the wet conditions, the crowd in the infield remained enthusiastic and undaunted, and when the Chainsmokers played the final set of the day, it gave the venue a renewed energy and life of its own.

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Adia Victoria, the soulful, electric-blues siren from Nashville, Tennessee made DC9 the DC stop on her current “Me & the Devil” east coast tour.

Delivering a mesmerizing performance, there’s something truly indescribable about Adia’s music that can’t be labeled or confined. It’s like a whole otherworldly presence is along for the ride and Adia’s in control of it all. Her music has dissonance and an ethereal quality to it. Its feel is magnified further within a live setting, and her band’s performance is like no other in the game right now. There’s a lot of raw guitar tones among the strings and they churn from silence to a bomb dropping in no time.

Adia’s vocals are gritty, yet refined. She manages to howl, whisper, chant, scream, and demand all eyes upon her with just a gesture. Her vocals soar from high to low and take listeners on a ghostly journey in tandem with her band that’s both tight and impeccable—from the straight-forward thumping drums, the relentless tonality of the guitars, right down to the last organ swipe.

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Filter, the hard hitting ’90s industrial rock outfit, made the Howard Theatre their DC stop on the band’s current “Make America Hate Again” tour. 

Nailing a thrilling performance to an enthusiastic crowd, frontman Richard Patrick is no stranger to delivering a pummeling round of songs to his diehard fans. Patrick, after leaving Nine Inch Nails as their tour guitarist, co-founded Filter with Brian Liesegang in 1993 and has racked up multi-platinum records since.

For Wednesday night’s performance the band was in excellent form. Patrick’s vocals sounded incredible and had just enough pop to soar above a relentless rhythm section. On bass guitar was Ashley Dzerigian who delivered an outstanding performance among the beautiful electronic madness. Through the entire set was a large, rapid moving eye on two screens above the stage that was both hypnotic and startling.

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