Author Archives: Richie Downs

The first time I ever laid eyes on the band Social Distortion was in the documentary video Another State of Mind. My good friend Pat brought the VHS tape to my house and said we had to watch it. The video featured footage from two punk bands on tour in 1982, Youth Brigade and the now-iconic Social Distortion. I remember footage of Social D’s front man Mike Ness talking to the camera looking through a mirror as he got ready to play a show, smearing black mascara down his face from his eyes and spiking his hair. 

From that day forward, for one reason or another, it seems that Social Distortion has had an ever-present part in my own music collection. Social D is one of those bands that you can always go back to, and they seemingly never change.

When they’re in town, it’s well-known that they always put on a good live show, and they always have an overwhelming stage presence. You can bring your best girl and sing along to classic songs like “Ball and Chain,” and if you’re really lucky, you can lay your ears on more classic tunes from the bands arsenal, like “Mommy’s Little Monster” or “Prison Bound.” Whichever era of the band’s catalog that you fancy, Social Distortion always delivers a little bit of everything.

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If Jeff Spicoli was an actual person, in between partying and catching tasty waves, he would most definitely be listening to Fu Manchu. The California stoner rock outfit has been laying down heavy grooves since 1990, and Monday, 4/22 at the Black Cat, Fu Manchu took us back 16 years, playing all of 1997′s The Action Is Go album.

Local support for the night was handled by DC’s Borracho. By the time they took the stage, the small room was already gathering a decent crowd. With singer Noah Greenburg going on hiatus, the band continued on as a three-piece, with guitarist Steve Fisher taking the reins on vocals. With the mic above his head and pointing down, reminiscent of Lemmy, and a gruff snarl to match, Fisher led Borracho across their set like Hannibal leading his elephants through the Alps.

Mid-tempo songs and heavy, low, churning chords gave way occasionally to fast-paced neckbreakers, and back again. Bassist Tim Martin and drummer Mario Trubiano provided the audio equivalent of a thunderstorm and an earthquake, yet did it with a cool, focused calm about them. As the set went on, Borracho alternated between songs with and without vocals, and it made for a perfect mix of their material. As they closed their set with “Concentric Circles,” the crowd showed their appreciation for the hometown boys and began their mingling during the set break.

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The Cold War Kids walked onto the stage of the sold-out 9:30 Club Thursday night without saying a word. The silence of the band seemed to make the warm and endearing crowd cheer a bit louder than usual, and the California-based foursome were well-received by the ecstatic audience. You could almost see the excitement in the air as clear as the haze pouring over the stage floor; it was obvious that something great was about to happen.

The band took to their instruments like seasoned warriors preparing for battle. They seemed to be a band on a mission, having no time to stop and give a moment of small talk, chit-chat, or the usual pre-show banter. With no verbal distractions and not so much as a hello, they went right into the night’s first song, “Loner Phase,” off their new album Dear Miss Lonelyhearts.

The loud cheers of an invigorated crowd began again, until Nathan Willet, the band’s front man, finally spoke in between the first and second song. You could almost hear footsteps through the club as the crowd hung on every word that passed through his lips. Willet simply stated, “We are going to play a few new ones for you tonight,” and then went right into the next song “Mexican Dogs,” from their beloved 2008 album, Loyalty to Loyalty.

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Green Day, the trio from Berkeley, California hit the Patriot Center at George Mason University like an unstoppable freight train last Thursday night to entertain the good people of DC and the surrounding areas.

Serving up their three-chord, punk melodies to the packed arena crowd, the guys not only seemed to be in their usual good spirits, but clearly owned the stage and exhibited just why they are venerated arena players. Billy Joe Armstrong, Tre’ Cool, and Mike Dirnt make up the hard rocking threesome, and are joined by guitarist and vocalist Jason White.

To invoke a personal and intimate experience for a crowd is a hard thing to pull off, even when playing at a smaller venue. To invite that same experience within an arena is a daunting task which Green Day seems to do with ease—bringing as much energy and as much of a personal experience to the large stage as they did within smaller venues—such as at DC’s beloved 9:30 club when it was located at 930 F Street, which I witnessed.

Full photo coverage in uno, dos, tres…

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The first thing I noticed walking into the 9:30 Club for Wednesday night’s performance was the huge backdrop hanging from the ceiling behind the stage. On it is an artist’s rough depiction of an ashtray dimpled with cigarette butts and a bar glass of whiskey beside it. Written in what looks like handwritten letters was “Lucero, Women & Work” (the name of their current album). Upon seeing it, I thought to myself, “Is this looming red and white draped signage a summation of the kind of smoke and grit music we are in store for tonight?”

It could very well be that the artwork is an homage to the stylish and almost melancholy spirit of Lucero’s body of work. Perhaps it’s even more than that. Maybe it’s a reminder that the simpler things in life are what we all can relate to: beautifully woven tunes, smoking cigarettes in between sips of whiskey, or a reminder of our vices and regrets. Whatever the case may be, we were in for a night of the old-time, juke-joint style musical offerings that only Lucero can offer.

Lucero, from Memphis, Tennessee, offers up the perfect blend of rock, country, and southern-punk style. Known as one of the hardest working bands in the business, there is no reason to doubt why. With eight full-length albums to date and countless stretches of tours to their credit, there is no doubt this band lives up to their road-worn reputation.

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They danced as they drank, and they screamed as they sang. They even got a little rowdy. Oh yeah, and the Dropkick Murphys were there too.

The Dropkick Murphys, the Hellcats from Massachusetts and one of the finest Celtic-punk bands to come into existence, played a two-night stint at the 9:30 Club Sunday and Monday evening. The band known for playing loud and hard, certainly did not disappoint. In fact, this was the loudest show I’ve been to in quite a while.

The band is touring to support the release of Signed and Sealed in Blood, which has already broken into the Top Ten on the Billboard charts. With eight studio albums, multiple singles, EPs, and compilation releases under their belt, Dropkick Murphys show no signs of slowing down. Their live shows are renowned, and tickets practically sell themselves. They play their own brand of punk rock with bagpipes and banjos and have an almost cult-like following.

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Maybe it’s an Australian thing, or maybe it was just the mood of the stage for the show that night. Perhaps it’s a sign that as far as music trends go, all things that once were, will one day be again. Whatever we are to believe, the fact is that last Wednesday night, retro-style guitar rock fearlessly attacked the 9:30 Club and everyone who bravely attended the Tame Impala show with their opening act, fellow Australians The Growl.

Tame Impala graced a sold-out 9:30 Club with the second night of their tour, in support of last year’s release via Modular, Lonerism. Everyone’s favorite psych band played a set heavy on tracks from Lonerism, including “Apocalypse Dreams, “Feels Like We Only Go Backwards,” and “Elephant.” 2010′s Innerspeaker was also represented with “It Is Not Meant to Be,” “Alter Ego,” and “Solitude is Bliss.” In the psych world, one expects to be immersed in almost painfully loud, fuzzed-out guitar. However, the sound from Tame Impala was remarkably clean and accessible. It is also worthy to note that lead singer Kevin Parker performed barefoot during the show, as did one of the members of The Growl. Perhaps that is also an Australian thing.

The guitar, though heavily fuzzed and thick sounding, was not the most hypnotic thing on stage for the opening set. The fact is that it was the dueling, ultra-tight drumming that took the lead role of The Growl’s set that night. The Growl, a gritty blues-based band, got the evening started as the crowd anxiously awaited Tame Impala’s set. Although The Growl’s singer did have a fair amount of soul and growl to his voice, the most impressive thing about the night’s opening act was the percussion. The Growl featured not one but two drummers who, needless to say, were perfectly matched, who know how to stay in the pocket and stay out of each other’s way.

It is pretty nice to see a band embrace the tone, feel and style of some of rock and roll’s past, with a retro sound relying on true tone more than effects and modern sound processors. Don’t get me wrong, this band certainly delivers a modern take on its blues roots. The Growl certainly seemed to gain more then a few fans from the night’s performance as they were very well-received. Between such a surprisingly good opener and the impeccable headliner Tame Impala, it was a great night for retro rock in the nation’s capital.

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Yo La Tengo took the stage to a sold-out crowd at the 9:30 Club not once, but twice for Friday nights performance. An Evening with Yo La Tengo, as it was billed, was broken down into two parts, or acts if you will, and came complete with an intermission.

The club sold out well in advance, and it’s no surprise why. Yo La Tengo, which translates to “I have it” from Spanish, has been collecting fans for the last thirty years. The iconic band formed back in 1984 in Hoboken, New Jersey, and has consisted of the same three members since 1992: Ira Kaplan (Guitars, Piano, Vocals), Georgia Hubley (Drums, Piano, Vocals), and James McNew (Bass, Vocals).

For the first act, Yo La Tengo played a full-blown acoustic-style set. In fact, they played so soft and intricate that every now and then you could hear the whispers of people far across the room ordering drinks. The entire club welcomed the soothing percussive swagger of band and everyone seemed to listen intently. Just before guitarist and vocalist Ira Kaplan left the stage for a brief intermission, period he gently and humorously stated to the crowd, “We’ll be right back, and we heard some of you wanted us to get loud.”

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