Author Archives: Rachel Lange

It was a nostalgic night of punk, reggae, and silliness as The Aquabats stopped at the Fillmore Silver Spring Monday night on their latest tour, Finally! The Album Tour.

Left Alone got the Monday night festivities started with an enjoyable 30-minute set. A California-based punk rock band, it formed back in 1996 by lead vocalist and guitarist Elvis Cortez. In 2024, the rest of the lineup includes Pablo Fiasco, Jimmy Jam, and Ben Shaw. The ska-influenced punk went over well with the Silver Spring crowd; it was a cool set that even included some Spanish-language songs. Left Alone’s latest release was 2021’s Checkers & Plaid, released on the label Cortez formed, Smelvis Records.

Also from California, The Aggrolites took the baton from Left Alone to get the Monday night crowd hyped and they were successful. The Aggrolites (Roger Rivas, Alex McKenzie, Jesse Wagner, Jeff Roffredo, and Ricky Chacon), formed in 2002 and are purveyors of what they call “Dirty Reggae”—a fusion of soul, ska, reggae, and punk.

The crowd was filled with fans who sang along and danced. Instead of a mosh pit, the show had a dance pit. Late in the set, frontman Wagner picked out some kids from the audience to join the band on stage for a fun rendition of “Banana Song,” a song from the children’s show Yo Gabba Gabba! The kids danced and sang on stage while inflatable bananas got tossed around the crowd.

While ska/reggae/punk is generally not my “thing,” both Left Alone and The Aggrolites were great. The sets were enjoyable, and both bands got the crowd engaged and dancing. There were quite a few kids present; the resulting vibe was that of a light, fun, family-friendly party.

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Pride month went out with a “Stampede” in Washington, DC Sunday as country singer Orville Peck made a stop at The Anthem on his current tour. Goldie Boutilier and The War and Treaty round out the bill on the Stampede tour.

Goldie Boutilier kicked off the night, taking the Anthem stage before a still-gathering crowd on a very hot DC night. Boutilier hails from Nova Scotia and began singing as a child. Her first performance was at age five in her hometown of Reserve Mines; she sang with The Men of the Deeps Choir—North America’s only coal miners’ choir. Her family’s junkyard business was used as rehearsal space.

Boutilier’s music is notable for her themes of romance and glamour and she’s also a successful model, having appeared in campaigns for the likes of John Galliano and H&M. Sunday night, her 30-minute set included songs pulled from across her collection of EPs and LPs. While she may be labeled as “alt-country,” the sound generated by Boutilier and her all-female backing band has a distinctly rock edge. Boutilier’s latest EP is “Emerald Year,” released in 2023.

The night swung from alt-country to soul with The War and Treaty. The War and Treaty are a husband-and-wife duo—singer-songwriters Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter. Their first album was 2018’s Healing Tide—the lead single from that album was acclaimed by Rolling Stone as a “joyfully relentless title track, reminiscent of classic Ike and Tina Turner rock-infused soul.”

The pair hit some significant milestones in 2023, as The War and Treaty became the first black duo nominated for Duo of the Year by the Country Music Association. If that weren’t enough, they were the first black duo nominated for Duo of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. They have received two Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist.

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The intimate, subterranean confines of Washington, DC’s Union Stage played host to night of heavy music Sunday, as Baroness made a stop on the band’s current tour. Ruby the Hatchet and Filth is Eternal played supporting roles for a handful of dates and rounded out the night of heavy music in DC.

Filth is Eternal kicked off the night, treating the still-assembling crowd to a quick, 30-minute set jammed with hardcore punk sounds. The Seattle-based band, led by dynamic vocalist Lis D’Angelo, hosted, as the band puts it, “their own brand of communal” exorcism at Union Stage. Unlike many hardcore bands who kick their way angrily through sets, Filth is Eternal brought a sense of joy and community to the stage. The band’s latest album is Find Out, released in 2023.

I was excited to see Ruby The Hatchet on the bill—I hadn’t seen them since they supported German doom metal band Kadavar at Baltimore’s Metro Gallery right before the COVID pandemic started in 2019. I enjoyed them then and was sure they’d be great at Union Stage. I was right.

The psych rock quintet, led by siren Jillian Taylor, has been around for over a dozen years. Emerging from New Jersey basements, Ruby the Hatchet (Taylor, Johnny Scarps, Lake Muir, Owen Stewart, and Sean Hur), relocated to Philadelphia and released their first EP in 2011. The band’s latest album is Fear is a Cruel Master, released in 2022. At Union Stage, the crowd got hit with RtH’s guitar- and organ-driven, 1970s influenced sounds. Coupled with Taylor’s charisma and smooth vocals, the result is sweet rock and roll honey. The entire set was fabulous, but I loved the cover of Quarterflash’s 1981 classic, “Harden My Heart.”

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This was fabulous. It was a night of firsts at Baltimore Soundstage, as Battle Beast made a stop in Charm City Saturday night, the penultimate date on their first North American headlining tour. Supporting Battle Beast was newcomers Blackbriar, touring North America for the first time ever.

I should have known this was going to be a special night when I queued up with everyone else right after doors opened at 7PM; the line to get into Baltimore Soundstage still snaked around the block. It was so long that I was a little nervous about making it inside in time to photograph Blackbriar. My fears were assuaged as security moved us through swiftly. Once inside at 7:58PM, I was told by security that Blackbriar would not be taking the stage until 8:15pm, as the meet and greet ran late. Relief!

Blackbriar took the stage and hit the crowd with gorgeous symphonic metal. The Netherlands-based band is promoting their latest album, 2023’s A Dark Euphony. This is an album that one reviewer praised as being “generation and genre-defining,” which is massive considering it is only the band’s second full length album (the first being 2021’s The Cause of Shipwreck). The songs explore gothic themes; sung by mesmerizing lead singer Zora Cock, they took on a magical quality.

The darkness of the songs was in direct contrast to the big smiles onstage, as the rest of the band (René Boxem, Bart Winters, Robin Koezen, Ruben Wijga, and Siebe Sol Sijpkens) all appeared to be absolutely stoked to be playing for the Baltimore crowd, which returned the love. Unusual for an opener, Blackbriar played for nearly an hour, even returning to the stage for an encore!

The Baltimore date of Battle Beast’s Circus of Doom Over North America tour was the first time I had ever covered or seen the Finnish power metal band (Juuso Soinio, Pyry Vikki, Eero Sipilä, Janne Björkroth, Noora Louhimo, Joona Björkroth). I will tell you right now, it will not be my last.

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Two years after Judas Priest last played the Washington, DC area, the OG metal giants returned to the MGM National Harbor Sunday night, one of the last stops on the current leg of the Invincible Shield tour. Like on the 50 Metal Years tour in 2021, Judas Priest brings Swedish power metal band Sabaton along for the ride.

The theater at the MGM National Harbor is part of the larger hotel/casino complex. As Sunday afternoon progressed, the place filled with fans—the line to get through security snaked through the atrium. Priest sold the joint out, so it took forever to get everyone through.

At 8PM, Sabaton (Joakim Brodén, Par Sunström, Chris Rorland, Hannes Van Dahl, and Thobbe Englund) took the stage to serve up their brand of historic power metal. For the unfamiliar, Sabaton is a Swedish band known for their war history-themed music. This started way back in 2005, with the release of Primo Victoria, the album to first take on historic themes. In the nearly twenty years since, the band has taken on broad topics like World War 1, World War II, and even Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Sabaton manages to pack a twelve song setlist into their opening slot, which is made up of crowd pleasers from across their discography

Despite the warmongering imagery, including gas masks, lots of camo, and a drum riser disguised as a tank, Sabaton comes across as just a happy, jovial bunch interested in cool stories about history. Brodén peppers his performance with lighthearted jokes while the rest of the guys engage with the audience, smiling broadly all the way. It’s very entertaining and the music is creative.

I’ve seen Sabaton perform many times with Judas Priest over the last few years; the National Harbor show was my fourth time on this tour alone. Something that stands out to me is just how strong a fanbase Sabaton has. It’s not unusual to show up at a Judas Priest gig and see many Sabaton t-shirts and even people dressed up in costume. Priest has done a great job here finding a band with crossover appeal for tours and is sticking with what works for them.

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Amon Amarth made a stop at the Fillmore Silver Spring Tuesday, a date on their Metal Crushes All tour, the band’s biggest ever North American tour. The venue sold out and it was an absolutely bonkers night of metal.

The insanity got started early, at 6:30PM, when Frozen Soul took the stage. The Dallas, Texas band (Samantha Mobley, Michael Munday, Chad Green, Matt Denard, and Chris Bonner) already had a mostly full house to play to when they laid down their 30-minute set of icy death metal. A still-young band, Frozen Soul’s latest album is Glacial Domination, released in 2023, and praised for its old school death metal sound. Vocalist Green wore a Bolt Thrower shirt, illustrating that the band does wear its death metal influences on its figurative sleeve.

The turnover took mere minutes before Obituary took the baton from Frozen Soul to continue the crowd’s annihilation. Formed in Florida back in 1984, Obituary is one of death metal’s pioneering bands, as well as one of the genre’s most successful. Forty years on, Obituary has eleven studio albums under its belt, the latest being 2023’s Dying of Everything.

Their seven-song set was heavy on new material, but the crowd didn’t seem to mourn the relative lack of older material. It was still fairly early in the night, but the roof was already starting to get ripped off the Fillmore—the venue was almost full by that point. Chanting and crowd surfing got started and never stopped. Not bad for a Tuesday night in the suburbs!

By the time Cannibal Corpse took the stage, the Fillmore was completely full, bursting at the seams with explosive energy from death metal fans ready to lose their minds. Cannibal Corpse (George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, Alex Webster, Paul Mazurkiewicz, Rob Barrett, and Erik Rutab), also from Florida, is another OG death metal band, forming with its original lineup in 1988. Despite having little to no radio or TV exposure, the band developed a cult following starting in the early ’90s of fans drawn to the technical death metal and horror-based lyrics.

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Swedish metal gods Avatar returned to the US last week and I have lots to say about it, having had the pleasure and privilege of covering the Norfolk, VA date Saturday night. Avatar continues to hit home runs with their support acts—last year’s tour with Native Howl and Orbit Culture was incredible, and on this quick headlining tour they knock it out of the park with Conquer Divide and Oxymorrons.

The freak show was still assembling when Oxymorrons took the stage at 8PM. From New York, Oxymorrons (brothers Demi “Deee” and Kami “KI,” drummer Matty Mayz and vocalist/guitarist/bassist Jafe Paulino) produce a mashup of rap, rock, funk, and punk that they refer to as “melanin punk.” It makes for an explosive sound and frankly an awesome way to get the night rolling.

The dual vocalist brothers have bottomless energy, weaving around and playing off each other while performing and working the crowd. They excel at it and are very easy to like. Meanwhile, Mayz and Paulino pound out the punk rock sounds. It makes for delightful, barely contained chaos and is a ton of fun to watch.

Arguably the cherry on top of all this is the band’s message of justice and self-acceptance. So, roll up wearing your bunny ears and mismatched socks with loafers, come out in your spiked ski mask and Wampa-looking furry boots. Be your “weird-ass” self. Oxymorron’s latest album is Melanin Punk, which includes banger “Look Alive,” a track that made Billboard’s Maintream Rock chart.

Michigan based Conquer Divide then took the stage as the next act. Interestingly, this band also has two vocalists (Kia Castillo and Madison Spencer) along with guitarists Kristin Sturgis and Isabel Johnson, and drummer Samantha Landa. I was at the show in Indianapolis earlier that week, and these young women bore the brunt of what was a disastrous sound problem at the venue. They were only able to play three songs before it was determined that the issue was unfixable, and they had to leave the stage. The women were pros about the whole thing, engaging with the crowd and treating us all to some impressive a cappella work before taking their bows.

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Perth, Australia’s Blake Rose made a stop on his Suddenly Okay tour at DC’s Songbyrd Music House. His first headlining tour showcases his fresh charisma and charm, along with catchy anthems with a rock edge. It was an impressive show from someone who is clearly an exciting rising star.

His latest release is “Suddenly Okay,” a four track EP of sing-alongs that adds to the singer-songwriter’s existing body of infectious but relatable guitar-lead anthems. At Songbyrd Saturday, the largely Gen Z crowd gathered tightly around the stage, singing along to the pre-show playlist that included the likes of The Killers and One Direction. A wholesome post-college party atmosphere continued through the night. Rose instructed the crowd to keep partying, with only two rules in effect: to dance with anyone they saw dancing and talk to people they thought were cute.

The set list included songs like “Dizzy,” “Casanova,” and “Heavy Shit”—songs that feature his signature adept lyricism, vulnerability, and explore relatable themes like heartbreak, growing up, and getting wise. It’ll be fun to see the career of this extremely talented multi-instrumentalist and producer progress and mature.

The night kicked off with a set by supporting act Max McNown. Currently Nashville-based, the country/Americana singer-songwriter’s songs also explore relatable themes from a young person’s perspective. McNown’s first album, Wandering, was released this month and is described as revealing “his extraordinary capacity to ease the mind and strengthen the soul.”

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The historic and stately DAR Constitution Hall in Washington DC, the city’s largest concert hall, played host to a “ritual” last Wednesday night—folk collective Heilung made a stop on its current, brief run of tour dates. The DC audience was treated to an incredible melding of heavy music and the group’s interpretation of millennia-old rituals.

This date of Heilung’s brief tour featured Faroese singer-songwriter Eivør as a special guest. For context, the Faroe Islands are a tiny archipelago located halfway between Norway and Iceland and is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark. Known for its isolation and subpolar climate, it’s from this environment that musician and vocalist Eivør Pálsdóttir, who performs professionally simply as Eivør, comes to us. Raised in the village of Syðrugøta (population <500), she performed on television for the first time at age 13 and has since dabbled in jazz, classical, folk, chamber pop, and electronic music, releasing her first album Eivør Pálsdóttir, in 2000.

Eivør has also contributed to the soundtrack of BBC’s The Last Kingdom, her voice has made an appearance in a video game (God of War)—her set Wednesday night featured these songs—and she received the 2021 Nordic Council Music Prize. Eivør’s last album is the mostly English-language Segl, released in 2020. Eivor’s newest album, Enn, is slated for release June 14. The Constitution Hall crowd, relaxed but supportive, leapt to its feet to give Eivør a standing ovation as she ended her set, prompting her to tell the crowd she was “going to cry.”

As a Heilung newbie (“Heilung is a German word that means “healing”), I was eager to see what the collective had in store for us. Looking at the crowd, it was clear I was in the minority—everyone, from fans decked out in costumes, makeup, even antlers, to the more typical DC suits—seemed excited to be there, and happy to be with like-minded fans.

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This was a fun one. Washington, DC’s storied 9:30 Club hosted an evening of soul, playing to a packed house Saturday night. On the bill? The amazing Lee Fields with support from the funky Monophonics.

Hailing from the San Francisco Bay area and led by producer/multi-instrumentalist (and a solo artist under his own name) Kelly Finnigan, Monophonics’ latest album (the band’s fifth) is Sage Motel, released in 2022. Praised for capturing a difficult to nail ’60s soul vibe, Sage Motel tells the story of, as the band itself puts it, a “place where folks experience the highs and lows of human existence. A place where big dreams and broken hearts live, where people arrive without ever knowing how they got there. It’s where folks find themselves at a crossroads in life.”

Along with the usual guitar, drums, and bass, Monophonics features the glorious use of synths and horns to create a pure retro soul/psychedelic rock sound. Reviews compare Finnigan’s voice to Marvin Gaye, and I agree with that; however, as someone who was previously unfamiliar with Monophonics, I would also argue there are similarities in the band’s sound to contemporaries like St. Paul & The Broken Bones. But while Paul Janeway’s performances and songs reflect a grounding in the church, Monophonics feels like the darker flip side of that retro soul band coin with a more intimate feel to their performance. Indeed, late in the set, the band played their incredible “Warpaint,” a song about addiction.

In any event, the crowd ate it up, singing along and dancing and, by the time I left the photo pit three songs into the set, the venue was already full, surprising for an early show. Monophonics may be known as Bay Area band, but they have a following in the DC area, too, as demonstrated Saturday night. Some folks even left after their hour-long set, finishing up their Saturday night elsewhere. Those who left early missed out on something good, as Lee Fields took the stage with his band, The Expressions, at about 7:45pm and promptly tore the house down.

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Bryan Adams extended his successful “So Happy it Hurts” tour into 2024, featuring Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dave Stewart as special guest. On March 13, the celebrated musicians—each best known for their respective contributions to ‘80s rock music—brought the three-and-a-half-hour-long show to EagleBank Arena in the Washington, DC suburb of Fairfax, VA. 

The night kicked off at 8PM when Dave Stewart took the stage with his eight member, all-female backing band. Stewart is of course one half of Eurythmics who, along with Annie Lennox, is responsible for ’80s megahits like “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “Here Comes the Rain Again.”

I never saw Eurythmics perform live, even though I was a fan growing up, so I jumped at the privilege of covering this legend. We photographers enjoyed the rare opportunity to shoot the entire set from the pit, something I’m extremely grateful for. While there is no replacing the rock goddess Annie Lennox (who no longer wishes to tour) seeing Dave Stewart with this very talented band was the next best thing. For an hour they treated the DC area to the “Eurythmics Songbook,” a well-crafted and crowd pleasing setlist of Eurythmics classics.

Stewart clearly enjoys performing these iconic songs—between songs he’d tell a story or two and joke a little with the crowd. He still sounds fantastic and, when the set was over, we photographers regrouped, and it was unanimous—his band is amazing.

The lineup is chock full of talent drawn from multiple countries. The charismatic Australian Vanessa Amorosi did most of the heavy lifting on lead vocals, sharing duties with Stevvi Alexander. Together they breathed new life into the songs with their modern vocal interpretations. The rest of the band includes Brazilian Indiara Sfair on harmonica, saxophonist Yasmin Ogilvie, bassist Julia Lamb, drummer Ellie East, keyboardist Hannah Koppenburg.

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Brandi Carlile, in Washington, DC for the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize tribute concert honoring her pal Elton John, played the second of two sold out shows at the Anthem Friday night.

The excited crowd gathered early and were already seated when The Hanseroth Twins took the stage to spend thirty minutes getting the crowd amped. Phil and Tim Hanseroth are best known as the bassist and guitarist, respectively, in Brandi Carlile’s band, as well as her songwriting and harmonizing partners. They recently started breaking out on their own, having released a single, “Remember Me,” which dropped at midnight Friday. A full Hanseroth Twins album is expected late this summer.

The duo was opening for themselves, essentially, only for the second time, the first being at the previous night’s show. They treated the crowd to a handful of songs, including the aforementioned “Remember Me” before tearing up a cover of the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” which got the crowd up, singing and dancing. They chatted with the audience in between songs and tipped their hats to DC and its legacy as a punk town.

After a quick break, the men returned to the stage accompanied by Brandi Carlile. As mentioned, they were in town to be part of the all-star tribute concert awarding the songwriting duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, which was held on March 20. Other performers included the likes of Metallica and Joni Mitchell.

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After a lengthy hiatus, The Kills released God Games in October 2023, their first album since 2016’s Ash & Ice. On tour supporting that new album, The Kills, the supremely cool duo of Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, stopped at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club on Wednesday night, the first of two dates at DC’s storied venue. They tore the place to the ground.

The Kills are keeping things simple on this tour, with the casually dressed Mosshart and Hince strolling onto a barely decorated stage—adorned only with instruments and a sparkly silver curtain. Grabbing their instruments, they launched into “Kissy Kissy,” from 2003’s Keep on Your Mean Side. The crowd couldn’t have been happier. The tone was thus set for the rest of the night, which wove old favorites like “U.R.A. Fever” with new material like the gritty “New York.” Songs from God Games made up half the set.

While The Kills’ rhythm section, as it were, was simply a drum machine, nothing about the performance felt phoned in or incomplete—Hince unleashed his guitar fury on the crowd while looking to Mosshart to howl into the microphone. Mosshart is a tornado of energy and swirling blonde hair, and when she’s not tangled up in her guitar cord or knocking her mic stand around, she paces back and forth on the stage like an animal. Studying the audience, she smiles warmly at the crowd before hitting everyone with her sexy vocals. It was a stripped down, but a hot and satisfying set from beginning to end. Over 20 years since the release of their first album, The Kills’ knockout chemistry is reflective of a decades long friendship and musical partnership.

As a side note, I’d like to shake the hand of the person who manages to resist the tractor beam of Mosshart’s intense charisma; from where I sit it would be a nearly impossible feat. I hadn’t seen Mosshart perform live since she toured with the Jack White project The Dead Weather which, from the vantage point of 2024, feels like a thousand years ago. She’s still the coolest of the cool—it’s impossible to look away. Her stage presence is as hypnotic as anything I’ve seen in my concert going life. It didn’t take too long for some gobsmacked dude standing against the barrier to yell out “I think I love you!” Bro, join the club.

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“I want you to do two things. I want you to be a slut and I want you to do what you want!” —Alexandra James, last Sunday night.

From bluesman Robert Johnson to hip shaking Elvis Presley to metal bands like Black Sabbath and Behemoth, music has always been accused of being in cahoots with the Devil. LA’s Twin Temple turns up the dial by overtly being Satanists, ones who craft fine, 1950s style rock and roll, woven with darkness. Their sophomore album, the “brutally blasphemous” God is Dead, was released in 2023. The God is Dead tour brought the Devil to Baltimore Soundstage last Sunday night.

Support act Vowws kicked off the ritual. They are an Australian industrial rock duo, comprised of Matt Campbell (vocals, guitar) and Rizz Khanjani (vocals, keyboard). Taking inspiration from horror film soundtracks and creating a sound that is reminiscent of new wave and goth bands from the ’80s and ’90s, it’s unsurprising that Vowws has collaborated with the likes of the legendary Gary Numan. The band’s debut album, The Great Sun, was released in 2015. Vowws followed up the release of Under the World with several singles, including a collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe.

Live, Vowws leans into its own description of itself as a death pop band, performing their very danceable songs in low light, dressed in black. Khanjani’s face was adorned in white makeup that is reminiscent of the demon Pazuzu in The Exorcist. Honestly, they’re great. They’re playing the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas later in the spring; they’re on my list of bands to catch then.

Twin Temple’s husband and wife team of Alexandra and Zachary James are fans of early American rock and roll and practicing Satanists. Since the 1970s, that darkness has been most associated with heavy metal, but Twin Temple wanted to incorporate Satanism with music of an era they love, that of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison.

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