Category Archives: TVD Washington, DC

Los Straitjackets have a whole subgenera of rock to themselves—guitar-led surf instrumentals, twanging away the way The Ventures once did—and with a second gimmick all their own, Lucha Libre wrestling masks.

Even when joining forces with Nick Lowe, as they have for an album and a couple of tours, they’ve maintained their distinct identity and cool swagger. To celebrate the band’s 30th anniversary, the band is on tour that included the Hamilton in DC. Led by Eddie Angel, a rockabilly stalwart who has played with a lot of bands, and flanked by lanky Greg Townson.

With steady backing by bassist Pete Curry and drummer Chris Sprague, the band could go in any direction, but were celebrating its anniversary by largely doing originals from their dozen or so albums, with titles that sounded like artifacts from the past—from the opening “Pacifica” to the signature “Kawanga!” to their version of horror novelty, “Rockula.”

By the second tune, “Outta Gear,” the front line was arranged to do cheesy choreographed moves, augmented by their matching black suits, wrestling mask,s and matching custom guitars. There were a few familiar instrumentals—back from the days when instrumental s were played enough on the radio to become familiar. One was “Out of Limits” from the Marketts, later remade by the Ventures; and the Revels’ “Church Key,” with the drummer adding other non sequitirs in the key breaks (“bird bath!” was one).

Making an instrumental out of a pop hit is a good move, and they did so with “Love Potion Number Nine” (as the Ventures did before them). They went further, though, putting their stamp on the theme from “Midnight Cowboy” such that it retained its haunting melody through reverb. The Benny Goodman staple “Sing, Sing, Sing” becomes a set-closing stinger (with plenty of room for a Gene Krupa-like drum attack). Best of all is their unexpected reworking of the theme from Titanic, “My Heart Will Go On” into a thrilling rocker.

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From the Civilian Arts Project to the Warehouse Next Door, the Black Cat, Comet Ping Pong, Artisphere, the Howard Theatre, U Street Music Hall, Penn Social, and Eaton DC—the DC Record Fair has brought out vinyl fans across DC (and VA!) for 15 years now. And for the 15th anniversary of the DC Record Fair, we’re returning to the Eaton DC on Sunday, May 19th to celebrate.

For this special anniversary event, we’ll have 45+ record dealers from up and down the East Coast with thousands of records, a stellar DJ line up—and entry to the event is free of charge for the entire day.

Our thanks to YouTube user Abigail Bender for a recap of last October 2022’s DC Record Fair above!

Mark your calendars! 
THE DC RECORD FAIR
Sunday, May 19, 2024 at Eaton DC, 1201 K Street, NW DC
11:00AM–5:00PM—and free all day!
Follow via Facebook.
Poster courtesy Bad People Good Things.

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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When The Feelies started nearly half a century ago in New Jersey, nobody expected they’d be playing well into the second decade of the 21st century at full strength.

Looking like twitchy, shy, bespectacled kids on their influential 1980 debut—best described by the title of the frantic track that kicked it off, “The Boy with Perpetual Nervousness”—they nowadays more resemble professors emeriti. But at a big sold out show at the Black Cat in DC, they seem even more shy than ever—or at least start their shows that way.

Over the din of the crowd Saturday, they quietly took seats for an opening acoustic set some may not had realized had begun. The frantic strumming and entwining rhythms were there, if one listened, but the vocals were so low in the mix, one could stand right next to the club’s biggest PA and still strain to hear Glenn Mercer’s baritone.

By their second number, a cover of “Sunday Morning,” the crowed quieted enough to pay attention. After all, the track kicks off the band’s release last fall, Some Kinda Love: Performing the Music of the Velvet Underground, chronicling a 2018 show.

It was just one of three songs performed from that salute, however. It was as if a song that had so internalized that band’s tone, intensity and simple, poetic lyrics (not to mention Mercer’s Lou Reed-like deadpan) there was no need to further reference their biggest influence.

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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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PHOTOS: SHAWN MILLER/LIBRARY OF CONGRESS | The sheer appeal and influence of Elton John’s music can be seen in the wide-ranging top-name artists who came to pay tribute and perform his songs last week at the 2024 Library of Congress Gershwin Awards Prize for Popular Song.

From the jolting opening strains of Metallica, of all people, at the DAR Constitution Hall slashing and burning through “Funeral for a Friend / Loves Lies Bleeding” (that may have left some Congressional ears bleeding) to the frailer tones of 80-year-old Joni Mitchell, declaring “I’m Still Standing,” albeit aided by cane and high profile backup singers in Annie Lennox and Brandi Carlile.

Mitchell, who won the Gershwin Prize last year (an event whose subsequent broadcast earned an Emmy) wasn’t the only past winner in the mix. Garth Brooks, the 2020 prizewinner, doffed his black hat and crooned two tunes, “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” and “Daniel.”

Few of the artists seemed willing to stray far from the original arrangements of the songs by John, 76, and lyricist Bernie Taupin, 73, who was sharing the award. In winning the prize named after George and Ira Gershwin, John and Taupin were the third team to be so honored, after Bacharach and David in 2012 and Emilio and Gloria Estefan in 2019; and only the second and third Brits—after Paul McCartney in 2010.

Still, both effusively praised the American music that inspired them both. “It’s been responsible for everything that I love in my musical life,” John said. “Everything I do emanates from the American songbook, which is the fountainhead,” Taupin said.

For most of the evening the two got to sit in the front row and bask in the performances of their songs by others. Of them, Lennox gave a strong gospel undergirding to “Border Song”; Maren Morris gave a reverent reading of “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues.” Juilliard grad and Elton neighbor Charlie Puth approached “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” like a recital, pausing dramatically before it began to take the moment in.

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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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Cat Power has devoted a large portion of her career to reinterpreting other artists’ material, with three full albums and two EPs of cover songs, from artists as wide ranging as Billie Holiday, Nick Cave, and The Rolling Stones. She’s also covered Bob Dylan on those releases, largely sticking to early outtakes like “Kingsport Town” and “Paths of Victory,” or “I Believe in You” from Slow Train Coming. 

Compared to those, her latest project more resembled a hugely ambitious performance art piece—reproducing an entire Dylan concert, one of his most notorious, song for song, from the very stage it was purported to have been performed. Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert replicates the concert that was actually recorded at the Manchester Free Trade Hall but widely bootlegged as being from London’s Royal Albert Hall—and is so much associated with that hall so that Dylan’s eventual official bootleg release of it in 1998 retained that title in quotation marks: Bob Dylan Live 1966: The ‘Royal Albert Hall’ Concert.

No need to do that when Cat Power, also known as Chan Marshall, recorded her show at the Royal Albert Hall to further extend the legend by bringing it to the place where it had never been. Manchester was the famous stop amid Dylan’s contentious English tour when UK folk audiences were reacting to the electric presentation of songs in the second half of the show—catcalling, slow-clapping and with someone ultimately yelling “Judas!” before the final number.

Someone, either as a joke or stirred by history, yelled the same thing when Marshall booked the Royal Albert Hall in November 2022 and recorded her version of the songs in order. Released a year later, the live album is being promoted on the current tour—for an entirely more positive audience response.

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Steve Forbert teaming up with Freedy Johnston to tour sounds like a perfect match, until you imagine them trying to combine their distinctly rough-hewn, sometimes ragged voices as they tool down the road.

That may be the reason why the two never quite share the stage in shows like the one Saturday night in northern Virginia. Instead, the idea that each brings their audience along to appreciate the other’s set which are after all pretty simpatico in lyric smarts and tuneful melodies (if not always the smoothest of pipes).

Johnston, the Kansas native, burst on the scene with a bunch of fine songs in his early albums 30 years ago. Songs from his 1994 This Perfect World still comprise about half of his freewheeling solo set (which was pretty different from the set a week before). But he had songs from three other albums, including his latest, the 2022 Back on the Road to You, as well as a new, yet unrecorded tune about the time he tried to be a drummer in a band but was fired (since he had no experience whatsoever behind a set).

“I’ve played here about 200 times,” he said to the familiar settings of the strip mall club in Vienna, VA. “It’s great to be here for the 201st!” He didn’t dress for the occasion, in his ball cap, black T shirt over black long sleeve T-shirt, jeans, and a key ring outside his belt loop, janitor-style. But he had a good rapport with the fans, requesting some “hot liquid” two songs in because “my voice needs help.” He weighted the end of his set with “This Perfect World,” his cover of Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” to his conclusive “Bad Reputation.”

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Colorado jam band Big Head Todd and the Monsters stopped at the Fillmore Silver Spring for a relaxed and fun night of blues rock tinged with a bit of 1990s nostalgia. Without any support act, the band (vocalist Todd Mohr, keyboard/pedal steel guitarist Jeremy Lawton, drummer Brian Nevin, and bassist Rob Squires) was free to take the stage promptly at 8PM and lept into its set, which reached into the band’s early 1990s work.

The Washington, DC area is known for being a region crawling with transplants, so it was no surprise that the crowd responded with a supportive roar when Mohr introduced the band as being from Colorado. Big Head Todd and the Monsters is known for its sizable live following out in the western part of the United States where they spent the late 1980s and ’90s touring extensively. The band still fills venues like Red Rocks near Denver, where they are scheduled to appear again in June. Big Head Todd and the Monsters’ first album, Another Mayberry, was released in 1989. In 1993, Sister Sweetly was released and went platinum in the US. The band’s 12th full-length album, Thunderbird, is scheduled to be released in late spring.

Friday night at the Fillmore Silver Spring, Mohr and the rest of the band, by the looks of it, gave the crowd what it wanted—a well-rounded setlist featuring old favorites (such as “Bittersweet”), new material (“Her Way Out”), and a few carefully selected cover tunes (some John Lee Hooker, anyone?). It was a crowd that skewed in the direction of being old enough to have seen the band in the 1990s; it was also one that was enthusiastic and became more well-lubricated as the show progressed.

Favorites like “Please Don’t Tell Her” got the crowd singing along. “It’s Alright” was delivered with a dash of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” which promptly got the unselfconscious in the audience slowly dancing with each other. There were many! The show wrapped up with a cover of Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me,” which brought the house down.

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Metal fans gathered Monday night—the night after the Super Bowl—for a blinding night at the Fillmore Silver Spring, the latest stop on metal icon Machine Head’s massive Slaughter the Martour North American tour. Machine Head has Fear Factory, Orbit Culture, and Gates to Hell along for the ride.

The night kicked off early as Gates To Hell took the stage at 6:30PM to a still-assembling crowd. Gates to Hell (vocalist Ryan Storey, bassist Dustin Cantrell, guitarists Seth Lewis, Stephen Price, and Eli Hanson, and drummer Jared Barron) is a metalcore outfit from Louisville, Kentucky; in September 2022, they released their debut self-titled album. The band has said that their body of work is largely inspired by horror-related themes; live Monday night, it prepped the stoked fans for a long night of metal chaos with a 30-minute set.

After seeing Orbit Culture three times in 2023 when they supported Avatar, I was eager to see the Swedish band again. At 7:20PM, Orbit Culture (vocalist/guitarist Niklas Karlsson, guitarist Richard Hansson, bassist Fredrik Lennartsson, and drummer Christopher Wallerstedt), took the stage and proceeded to tear the place down. Watching them perform, the word that kept coming to mind was “ferocious.”

Writing about the band last September, when I covered their date in Nashville with Avatar, I said that Orbit Culture seemed to have gotten better over the course of 2023, if it were possible. I daresay the same thing has happened since last fall—their sound and stage presence seems to have improve even more. The terrorizing sound of the band’s live set was punctuated by the egging on of the audience, which was more than happy to comply with Karlsson’s instructions to form circle pits.

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