May Concert Preview

Photo courtesy of
St. Vincent comes to Black Cat May 22. ‘.’
courtesy of ‘Beard Papa’

Here we are again, with another completely subjective installment of everything worth seeing in May, according to me. Did I miss anything you’re super excited about? Leave it in the comments!

Start May off on a hilarious note by hitting up Super Diamond— the Ultimate Neil Diamond Experience at 9:30 Club Friday, May 1 ($22).

Amazingly, there are still tickets for Gavin Rossdale at 9:30 Club on Sunday, May 3 ($25). Reasons to see him: he’s pretty sexy and is married to Gwen Stefani, plus even if you’re not a fan of his latest single (“Love Remains the Same”), what if he plays that 90’s staple “Adrenaline”? Ah, that brings me back. Good times.

Has Lady Sovereign’s time come and gone? There was a lot of hype about this British rapper a couple of years ago, including news that Jay-Z was impressed enough to put out her American debut on the Def Jam label, but I haven’t heard anything about her in a while. In any case, she’s got a new album (on her own label) to promote and will be at the 9:30 Club Saturday, May 9 ($20).

Saturday, May 16 at Black Cat is Bike Prom 09: lots of DJs, dancing, and free prom photos ($10). The Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival in Annapolis, MD is also going on that day from 11am to 8pm, featuring Los Lonely Boys and Jonny Lang, among others. Plus, my personal faves Middle Distance Runner will be at Rock and Roll Hotel with Pretty & Nice, Loose Lips, and Drink Up Buttercup ($10).

Sunday, May 17 is Ben Lee with Low vs Diamond at Rock and Roll Hotel ($16) This one will definitely sell out soon, so get your tickets ASAP!

Her Space Holiday comes to Rock and Roll Hotel Tuesday, May 19 ($10). I have love in my heart for these guys for their ability to try new and interesting things, without cluttering up their sound at all. (Haven’t heard of them? Try their track “You and Me”)

Thursday, May 21 local band Deleted Scenes will be at Black Cat ($8). I haven’t seen these guys yet, but from what I’ve heard it seems like I should. They’ve got that melodic indie-rock sound down, and songs like “Ithaca” remind me of Vampire Weekend a bit (in a good way).

St. Vincent comes to Black Cat ($15) on Friday, May 22, and I am stoked. Her debut CD, Marry Me, has been on my regular rotation for about a year now and she has a new one coming out May 5. Sometimes her songs can seem kind of all over the place, starting out slow and kind of spacey and then a hardcore guitar solo will come out of nowhere, but her lyrics are freaking awesome. Plus, I heard that she had a song or two on Grey’s Anatomy.

Saturday, May 23 catch Jukebox the Ghost with Jenny Owen Youngs at Rock and Roll Hotel ($12 in advance). Piano-driven indie rock from a band with roots in the DC area? Count me in.

Finally, Saturday, May 30 is the M3 Rock Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion, featuring Twisted Sister, Ratt, and Extreme. Sounds rock-tastic.

Jasmine is a Spin magazine contributor who is completely obsessed with music and all things new and different. She’s lived in the DC area since 2006, and still has plenty to discover about this great area! Find out why she loves DC.

6 thoughts on “May Concert Preview

  1. More!

    5/3 – Cursive @ Black Cat
    5/8 – Liam and Me @RnR
    5/13 – The Thermals @ Black Cat
    5/14 – The Shins @ 930
    5/19 – Edie Sedgwick & Olivia Mancini @ Black Cat
    5/28 – Title Tracks @ Black Cat

    Mixture of local and national bands with most of them being indie rock with some post-rock influences. So many good concerts in May!

  2. ok i’m sure you know that the shins are sold out, otherwise they most definitely would have been in the round-up. other than that, you have me stumped, sir. edie sedgwick? as in, andy warhol’s muse?

  3. CraigsList is always an option for those late-to-the-party Shins fans.

    Yes. This is of course the transgendered reincarnation of said muse, who just happens to have a passion for music. He (She?) has had a couple of releases on Dischord. VEry good live show.

    http://www.ediesedgwick.biz

  4. In other news – Ben Lee came to Vassar for our fall convocation last year and played a sweet outdoors concert. It was adorable. <3

  5. Adrenaline was written by Tina. He thanked her on the internet for submitting the lyrics. Thank you very much. T