Monthly Archives: January 2013

This past weekend I retreated indoors away from the bombarding tourists. It was a wise decision as I am afraid of traffic. I accomplished taking the best naps while drinking hoards of hot tea. It was a most delightful and quiet weekend. With that said, I am in need of live music and can only see happiness in the form of two solid DC bands and an out-of-town goddess.

Friday, January 25th: Miyazaki at DC9 | Miyazaki is not just a Japanese manga artist and actor, but it’s also a local band who describes themselves as “gloomy-spirit house, loud beat, rain dance-synth pop.” They recently released their first full-length album, Color of Glass, a strong debut for a new band. Although the quartet does not list New Order as an influence, it is undeniable that Eduardo Rodela harkens toward a deeper sounding Bernard Sumner. Marisa Grotte adds to Rodela’s unique vocals to form a captivating combination.

While Miyazaki bring a dose of the old familiar, it is a sound we could use more of in the city. Spend your Friday night celebrating their album release at the intimate DC9.

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“Not to go too far in depth, but in making Color of Glass we were going for creating a set of songs that are congruent in mood and feel, which reflect a style that is uniquely our own.

“In saying that, I understand how cliche that is, but we really wanted to focus on coming up with a sound that is a total experiment in minimal instrumentation and complex, enveloping moods that have a meaningful uniqueness. It’s taken us a couple of years to develop our sound—probably way too long to the point that we routinely get asked if we’ve broken up, since we’ve taken so long recording…”
—Eduardo Rodela, Miyazaki

In case you haven’t caught the talented Miyazaki sharing the stage with some of DC’s best—Ra Ra Rasputin, Misun, Lenorable, etc.—rest assured that synth-pop phenoms Miyazaki are still around and are releasing their long-awaited album Color of Glass tonight at DC9. Vocalist/Guitarist Eduardo Rodela took a few minutes to talk to me about the making of the album, from mood to mastering.

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For as long as I have lived in DC, I have heard of the name, Sean Peoples. To most, Sean is known for running the community record label, Sockets Records, but did you know that he started off in a band and is also a well-known DJ in the city? Talking to Sean, it was apparent that he does not see himself as a big deal, but to everyone else he has played a pivotal role in the DC music scene.

Sockets announced in November that it will be closing its doors this year. It is the end of a pursuit that successfully accomplished what it sought to do. For the rest of us, that light in our city will shine on in the very successful bands Sockets nurtured, and in a host of physical records etched with the beloved SOCKETS name in the corner. For Sean, he will now listen to music and enjoy it for its simple listening pleasure, without worrying about how a random promoter will take it.

As Sean told TVD, “I did it. I made it work and I am so happy I did. I hate the idea of the emotion of regret. I am really proud of it, but I understand that there is only so much that you can do sometimes, and I have no regrets. The fact that I did it with the bands I did it with, is pretty awesome, and I’ll take that with me forever.” TVD wishes Sean well in his new endeavors, and we know this won’t be the last of the distinguished Mr. Peoples.

Sockets comes to an end after eight years, holding its last showcase on Saturday, February 2nd at the Black Cat  featuring Deleted Scenes, Hume, Imperial China and Buildings.

On a cozy evening last year, we took over Sean Peoples’ studio in DC to talk about Sockets, lessons learned, and his take on the DC music scene. We started with the basics, asking Sean how long he’s been living in DC.

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When you see a performance live, you usually go in knowing the genre, speed, and crowd you’re walking into. Doing so usually eliminates the element of surprise that generally makes seeing something old (like a band you have an affinity for) work on a less exciting level.

So when you take the idea of genre-meshing—the act of taking everything you know about a couple types of music, throwing it into a sack and beating it against a tree—you form something completely new and unique, even if it’s just recycled material. Which is why I can see how Thievery Corporation, the very DC staple that takes genre-meshing to a whole other level, can sell out three back-to-back shows at the 9:30 Club after 18 years in the biz. Not being the type of group who is relegated to just one category, Thieves doesn’t so much tap dance on the line of multi-genus—but krumps all over it.

Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, the figureheads of Thievery, held rank in the back, bopping and swaying to the music they created along with the rest of the audience, who refused to stop dancing throughout the entire show. Keeping the interlacing strong, they orchestrated a revolving door of 15 members coming on and off of the stage to give a fresh angle on music we had (mostly) already been privy to. One singer replaced the other as the set went on, bringing their own flavor to each of the Corporation’s cuts. LouLou O. Ghelichkhani took reign for a good part, with her soulful crooning as lead singer during the set. Then we got a healthy dose of the rasta supreme from the masters Ras Puma, Sleepy Wonder, and See-I, each giving a lesson on a little thing called reggae.

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When Ellie Goulding took the stage on Sunday night at the Fillmore Silver Spring, she looked effortlessly chic in black leather shorts and a grey t-shirt.

This wardrobe choice allowed her to have a fairly physical performance, dancing and running around the stage or standing at her drum set front and center, depending on what each song called for.

She played a balanced and eclectic set that showcased her vocal talents in both slow ballads and up-tempo dance songs. I was particularly fond of her cover of Elton John’s “Your Song” and her performance of the title track to her most recent album, Halcyon. Of course the other crowd pleasers included “Starry Eyed,” “Anything Can Happen,” and “Lights.”

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Emo equals death. I’ve known this for decades, since DC bands like Rites of Spring spewed sincerity all over the stage and in so doing spawned a seemingly infinite number of cringingly earnest bands that simply had to tell you how they really feel. Diary-entry rock: what an utterly demoralizing development. Oscar Wilde once said, “A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.” The incomparable Oscar was, as usual, spot on. Someday scientists will recognize earnestness as an untreatable illness, like Mad Cow disease or yoga, and I say all this to explain why, while I was supposed to review emocore band Hot Water Music at the 9:30 Club, I begged off to review The Growlers at the Black Cat that same night instead.

What happened was simply this: to prep myself for Hot Water Music’s gig, I sat down and listened to several hours’ worth of their tunes. It turned out to be a harrowing experience, far more painful and much longer lasting than the time that Dr. Josef Mengele Jr. at Gettysburg Hospital abruptly yanked–without providing advance warning–a nasogastric tube from my stomach via my left nostril. True, Hot Water Music aren’t a heart-on-sleeve weepfest of a band; they’re simply an admirably tight emo-punk outfit devoid of anything even remotely resembling a sense of humor. Can’t blame them, I suppose—the poor souls probably suffer from an irony deficiency—but still, I strongly suspected that two hours in their angst-filled company would inspire me to find a way to gnaw my own ears off.

On the other hand, it took me but six minutes and seven seconds to realize that The Growlers were my cup of mirth. That was exactly how long it took to listen to the hilarious combination of mariachi horns and denial that is “Gay Thoughts.” Then I checked out their “Drinking Song for Kids”–nothing heartfelt about that–and I was hooked. Ditto “Something Someone Jr.” (“I haven’t read an outline/On how to pass youth/Rather than get passed/I pass doobs”).

No way was I going to miss these guys for Hot Water Music.

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When I realized The Soft Moon were not only playing in DC at The Black Cat, but on the smaller and more intimate back stage, I gave myself a big ol’ internal high five and counted down the days.

I was curious to see how this “bedroom project” would translate live, as Luis Vasquez’s initial self-titled release was swathed in intimacy as it was produced behind closed doors. The Soft Moon’s follow up album, Zeros, is a much more in-your-face affair, and as such, so was their amazing performance. Majical Cloudz opened the evening, whose band name spelling is more inventive and captivating than their performance actually was.

Canada’s duo Majical Cloudz opened the evening with hearts on their sleeves. Known for minimalistic beats and gut-wrenching vocals, they reminded me of a watered down Walkmen, singing of lost love and drunken evenings. Devin Walsh’s vocals are back by compelling beats, but the performance itself seemed a bit, well, washed out. It could very well be because it was the last show on the tour for both bands. Check out “Turns, Turns, Turns” if you already haven’t heard it, and you must also hear “Dream World,” which features my favorite girl Grimes. I’m curious to hear more from this duo, still early on the scene and getting high marks from credible sources.

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Can we just agree at this point that grunge didn’t kill hair metal, it just sort of…put it on hold for a bit? OK, for maybe 25 years – but still.

The success of the M3 Rock Festival, now in its 5th year, is testament to Metal’s popularity which in some circles (TVD HQ) has never really waned. The 2013 line-up reads like a who’s who of the Metal Masters preaching to a leather clad choir.

“M3 Rock Festival starts with The Official M3 Kix-Off Party, which will get things started Friday, May 3rd at 5:30pm. Acts playing Friday night are W.A.S.P., KIX, Danger Danger and Bad Seed Rising.

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