Author Archive
We Love Music: Puscifer @ Lisner Auditorium, 11/26/11
All images courtesy of Puscifer Are you a Tool fan? How about A Perfect Circle? Well, I hope you skipped your chance to see their front-man Maynard James Keenan on Saturday night. Maynard brought his solo project Puscifer to the Lisner Auditorium for what was supposedly a large production – part multimedia experience, part cabaret. [...]
More »Hot Ticket: Puscifer @ Lisner Auditorium, 11/26/11
Puscifer never would’ve been on my radar if it weren’t for Maynard James Keenan, the mysterious frontman of Tool and A Perfect Circle. Like all Tool fans, I’ve learned to expect long waits between albums (it’s been 5 1/2 years since the last one, by the way). I imagine Maynard has an infinite supply of [...]
More »We Love Music: M83 @ Black Cat, 10/28/11
I remember when M83 released their breakthrough album Dead Cities, Red Seas, & Lost Ghosts back when I was in college. M83 easily fit in my collection with groups like The Postal Service and The Notwist, yet the album had no vocalist to connect it with mankind. The occasional words were only samples; it was [...]
More »We Love Music: A Perfect Circle @ DAR Constitution Hall, 7/17/11
All photos courtesy of A Perfect Circle When I heard that A Perfect Circle was coming to DAR Constitution Hall, I had a ton of questions. The band has been on hiatus for seven years; Maynard’s been working with Tool, Billy Howerdel formed Ashes Divide, and the other members ran off with Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn [...]
More »We Love Music: Fucked Up @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 6/27/11
All photos by Rachel Rasby The smell of Cocoa Puffs crushed underfoot. Silhouettes of back-hair illuminated by a spotlight. Clouds of sweat puffing around the stage. Most of my memories of Fucked Up’s performance on Monday night at the Rock and Roll Hotel aren’t particularly pleasant. But who likes their shows ‘pleasant’ anyway? Yeah, it [...]
More »Hot Ticket: Fucked Up @ Rock & Roll Hotel, 6/27/11
photo by Michael Darpino First, it’s worth noting that, given their band name, Fucked Up never would have made it 20 years ago. You know, back when you discovered music by listening to corporate radio. I can just imagine all the record execs sitting around, begging Fucked Up to change their name. “Wal-Mart will never [...]
More »We Love Music: Yeasayer @ 9:30 Club, 6/16/2011
All photos by author It’s been a year since Yeasayer last visited the 930 Club, in promotion of their latest album Odd Blood. Since then, word spread about their solid live show, and tickets for Thursday night’s show sold out months in advance. They came to DC as part of a short tour to road-test [...]
More »We Love Music: This Will Destroy You @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 6/5/11
All photos courtesy of This Will Destroy You This Will Destroy You is one of my favorite groups in the post-rock scene right now. I feel like they’re creating music specifically for me. It has the pleasant, sometimes melancholy soft-loud dynamic of bands like Mogwai or Jakob. Yet they’ve taken a turn for the dark [...]
More »Hot Ticket: This Will Destroy You @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 6/5/11
Just to get this out of the way – yes, they live up to their name. THIS WILL DESTROY YOU is one of the loudest bands I’ve seen live – the kind of loudness where you might go deaf if you don’t wear earplugs. I caught them last year at DC9, expecting a pleasant set [...]
More »We Love Music: James Blake @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 5/8/11
Courtesy of James Blake If you want some idea of what James Blake’s show sounded like on Sunday night at the Rock and Roll Hotel, do yourself a favor and listen to this broadcast of his SXSW set while you read. I was beyond excited to get a chance to see Blake on his first [...]
More »We Love Music: Pinback @ Black Cat, 5/1/11
All images courtesy of Paivi Salonen Bands using video projectors at their live shows can be hit-or-miss. At their best, you can have a band like Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who count their projectionist as a full-on band member. He moves back and forth between four(!) projectors, mixing up a series of dark images to [...]
More »We Love Music: Appleseed Cast @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 4/30/11
All photos courtesy of The Appleseed Cast Over their 15-year career, The Appleseed Cast have slowly morphed from their emo roots into a dynamic and powerful post-rock group. I must say, I haven’t paid too much attention to the band since 2003’s Two Conversations. But Saturday night’s show at the Rock and Roll Hotel impressed [...]
More »We Love Music: The Submarines @ Black Cat, 4/28/11
All photos courtesy of Paivi Salonen I’m a pretty cynical guy, to say the least. It would be really easy for me to write off The Submarines for writing corny love songs. But I can’t. I’ve seen plenty of bands that are too cool to acknowledge the audience; I’ve seen rock stars that act like [...]
More »Hot Ticket: Pinback @ Black Cat, 5/1/11
This Sunday night, indie rockers Pinback return to the Black Cat to deliver a set of positive, upbeat guitar grooves. Pinback’s front man Rob Crow has been all over the map musically, playing in groups as diverse as math rockers Three Mile Pilot, Chino Moreno’s spacey electro project Team Sleep, and sludge metal outfit Goblin [...]
More »Hot Ticket: The Appleseed Cast @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 4/30/11
“As the tear flow out it’s the end, the end of you and me.” They probably don’t appreciate me saying this, but don’t miss one of the 21st century’s finest emo groups at the Rock and Roll Hotel this Saturday. The Appleseed Cast have been cranking out albums for nearly 15 years. I’ll always remember [...]
More »Hot Ticket: The Submarines @ Black Cat, 4/28/11
This Thursday at the Black Cat, one of my biggest guilty-pleasure bands is playing the Backstage. The Submarines craft cheery indie-pop, with catchy lyrics, bright acoustic guitars, and airy synths. It’s a testament to their songwriting abilities that even a jaded dude like me can’t help but get into them. The story behind The Submarines [...]
More »We Love Music: Acid Mothers Temple @ Red Palace, 4/14/11
All photos courtesy of Acid Mothers Temple On Thursday night, I cruised down to the Red Palace to catch an offbeat show. When I first heard about a self-described “guitar freak-out” psychedelic rock collective from Japan, named Acid Mothers Temple, I knew they’d be up my alley. I love noisy bands that can bring a [...]
More »Hot Ticket: Mogwai @ 9:30 Club, 4/19/11
UPDATE: According to their official website, Mogwai are postponing this date until October due to issues with their visa. All tickets for this show will be honored. Mogwai. How do I even begin recommending that you check out my favorite band of all time? I’d rather you not even come, in case you don’t understand [...]
More »Hot Ticket: Acid Mothers Temple @ Red Palace, 4/14/11
Do you like guitars? Do you like noise? Do you want to have your mind blown?! Acid Mothers Temple, a Japanese “guitar freak-out” band, make their Red Palace debut on Thursday night. This is a band that’s cranked out dozens of albums over their 15-year career. Their music lies somewhere around drone and psych rock. [...]
More »We Love Music: Glassjaw @ Ram’s Head Live, 3/27/11
All photos by Mike Kurman. It’s been eight years since post-hardcore rockers Glassjaw have officially released any new material. During those eight years, the band members have been keeping busy with side projects – Head Automatica, Men Women & Children, and United Nations, to name a few. They’ve been working together as a band, sure, [...]
More »
