Category Archives: TVD Washington, DC

Another day, another dollar, another month, another assortment of great tickets to give away. You know the deal—we preview the artists coming to the 9:30 Club, you enter to win a pair of tickets to the shows. Check out who’s coming through DC this month.

Spiritualized, Thurs 5/10

Spiritualized is the psychedelic-space rock-dream pop band from Rugby, Warwickshire. While the band has been together since 1997, Jason Pierce (also known by his stage name, J. Spaceman) is the only sole permanent member of the band, composing and singing all of the band’s material.

Spiritualized will be taking the 9:30 Club stage on May 10th as they tour in support of Sweet Heart Sweet Light. Of the band’s seventh album, Rolling Stone says, “The record finds Piece working on the familiar grand scale of past Spiritualized discs while emphasizing simpler, bolder melodies.”

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Here’s a true story—of the hundreds of emails I tend to receive weekly regarding TVD, the ones with links to Mp3s for preview all get funneled into one folder—unheard. Then come Sunday, I plow through them all and choose the tracks we’ll feature for Monday’s Press Play piece, and in tandem with what’s often a chore—Saturday nights often run late, y’know—I choose TVD’s “Single of the Week.”

A few weeks back I experienced what I can only call “Single of the Week Remorse.” It should have been Dot Hacker’s “Inhibition” from the LP of the same name. It’s got everything I look for in (most) tracks…atmosphere, depth, lush, moody and ethereal vocals. And a sinewy hook that stayed top of mind for days. However, don’t take my word for it, have a listen:

To make up for my oversight and perhaps as penance, we’ve got a gorgeous copy of Inhibition of glorious color vinyl to award one of you.

Right, that’s it there…a beauty, hm?

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Merriweather Post Pavilion kicked off a new season of concerts with the Sweetlife Food and Music Festival last Saturday, April 28th. While the weather was less than desirable, the third annual Sweetgreen-sponsored concert brought out a large gathering of food and music lovers alike.

The first band to take to the Main Stage was fun. The group kicked off their eight-song set with “One Foot,” a track off of their sophomore album, Some Nights, released last month. Despite their somewhat early 12:30 set time, fun. drew in a very respectable crowd and helped energize concertgoers. “Are you ready for a long day?” asked lead singer Nate Ruess at one point, to which audience members responded with cheers and applause.

The three-piece group was accompanied on stage by a touring band that included a trumpet player, as well as a saxophonist/keyboardist. While it’s no question that fun. kept fans engaged during their entire performance, it was their last song, the ubiquitous “We Are Young,” that commanded the most attention and led to what I found to be the most epic sing-along of the day. Overall, the band’s set was upbeat, lighthearted, infectious, and, needless to say, all things fun.

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I’m always delighted when a live show introduces any sort of theatrics into their set. Seeing Quintron and Miss Pussycat live, you are not only guaranteed a rocking dance party, but a most charming puppet show, too!

Opening for the delightful duo were Lenorable (whom I sadly missed, thanks to metro delays) and Heavy Breathing, who have quickly become one of my favorite new local bands.

Quintron, originally known as a one man band, now tours with his wife Miss Pussycat and the Drum Buddy. The Drum Buddy is his own invention and consists of a “mechanically-rotating, five-oscillator, light-activated drum machine.” That thing is a work of art in itself, let alone the foot stomping swap rock that pours out of it.

Miss Pussycat joins him on stage with hand-sewn maracas and a custom orange and silver outfit, matching her handmade army camouflage- themed puppet booth. This stage presence is enough to get everyone hyper and dance-crazed before the music even begins, but honestly I think the anticipation of the much-adored act might have had something to do with it too.

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In September of 2006 my Dad passed away, and by July of 2007 I suppose I was ready to move forward to some degree and created the website you’re reading at present—with him in mind and our many trips to the record store where we bonded over music and more.

Happily, life has transcendent arcs; the DC Record Fair returns for a second spin in 2012 on June 17th—or, Father’s Day.

Mark your calendars! 
THE DC RECORD FAIR
Sunday, June 17, 2012 at the Fillmore Silver Spring
11:00–12:00 Early Bird Admission $5.00 | 12:00–5:00 $2.00
Records, DJs, Bloody Marys, and all the usual stuff (plus a few surprises!)

The DC Record Fair is brought you by Som Records, DC Soul Recordings, and us!

FORWARD DC is back! Entering its fifth year, the five-day celebration of electronic creative culture is presented by EightyEightDC and showcases music, art, and new media.

Through electronic creative culture, FORWARD aims to unite artists, attendees, and the greater D.C. community in cultivating a caring, conscious society interested in pro-actively pushing things forward.

The festival, which features live performances, art exhibitions, and workshops, kicks off tomorrow and runs through Sunday, and this year’s theme is “Organic.”

The aim is “to get back to our roots, live healthy and embrace that which is raw and pure. Artistically, organic will be represented in all visual aspects of the festival, with a particular focus on the 5 Chinese elements of the natural world: Fire, Water, Earth, Wood and Metal. Musically, the festival will focus more on back-to-back DJ nights, artists that we feel have an organic sound, and installations that reflect the theme.”

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With the impending change of seasons looming in the air, it’s hard not to think about the summer months that will soon be upon us. With summer comes warmer weather, and, of course, an all-new array of artists and bands making their way to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md.

Kicking off the Merriweather summer concert series is the third annual Sweetlife Food and Music Festival, taking place this Saturday, April 28th.

Sweetlife is sponsored by Sweetgreen, a Washington, DC-based restaurant chain that uses healthy, organic foods from local farms in its restaurants. The festival, a celebration of music, food, and eco-consciousness, will feature a wide variety of artists performing on two stages. Among the musicians set to perform are The Shins, fun., Kid Cudi, Avicii, Fitz and the Tanstrums, The Delta Spirit, Explosions in the Sky, and A$AP Rocky.

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TVD heartily endorses America Hearts at the Black Cat Monday night, 4/23. AH’s Jess Matthews joins us with the skinny on the band’s Singles Club.

“When Sub Pop announced their singles club in 1988, they turned the concept of a flirtatious gathering of former, would-be prom kings and queens into an aesthetic experience for solitary, record-collecting nerds in need of a dose of 7-inch inspiration.

“Hey loser. Wanna find some action? Tired of being left out? Here at SUB POP we’ve just started a special club for lonely record collectors like yourself: THE SUB POP SINGLES CLUB.”
—Single Club’s ad

But those were different times. In 1988, Roy Orbison died and Adele was born. The savings and loan crisis—a quaint financial meltdown—had not yet helped create the early ’90s recession, youth angst, and taste for flannel. But these early glimpses of American decline fostered demand for a new musical direction, one that was unintentionally laid out in those early singles club releases by Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and Fugazi.

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I’ve been reading a lot about Lucero shows lately. (It’s kind of my job.) It seems they’ve been particularly rowdy lately, and it seems people have been really diggin’ ‘em that way.

This got me thinking, “Where have I seen the rowdiest Lucero shows?” to which I answered myself (because geniuses answer themselves, ya know), “Easy: Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and New York City.”

If you’re one of those folks who digs being covered in beer and bruises when you leave a show, then you’re in luck. It just so happens we’re giving away two tickets to the April 25th Lucero show (with J. Roddy Walston & the Business as the opener!) at the 9:30 Club right here in Washington, DC.

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Time for an easy quiz. What’s better than seeing three British babes serenade you with electro-indie pop music on a Monday night? Seeing the three British babes from The Wombats serenade you for FREE at the 9:30 Club on a Monday night! I told you it would be an easy answer.

Liverpool’s own super cool trio The Wombats are starting to make a splash in music news these days. Having released two studio albums, 2007′s The Wombats Proudly Present: A Guide to Love, Loss, & Desperation and 2011′s The Wombat’s Present: This Modern Glitch, the band just recently announced that they will be supporting The Red Hot Chili Peppers on their two UK concert stops.

They’ll be crossing the pond to shower the US with their “indietronica” sound this month into May, and they’re stopping by the 9:30 Club on their way. Luckily, we’ve got two tickets to give away!

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