Andrew Markowitz – We Love DC http://www.welovedc.com Your Life Beyond The Capitol Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:00:47 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.9 We Love Music: Linkin Park @ Jiffy Lube Live, 8/11/12 http://www.welovedc.com/2012/08/16/we-love-music-linkin-park-81112/ Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:00:38 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=86800 Admittedly, it had been awhile since I’ve listened to Linkin Park. I definitely liked their older stuff from the albums Hybrid Theory and Meteora but the last time I’d heard their music was on A Thousand Suns and it was…different. And not what I expected.

But I’m always up for photographing a show and when the opportunity came to shoot Linkin Park on the first night of their tour for their new album Living Things this past Saturday at Jiffy Lube Live I thought I’d give them a chance.

MUTEMATH was the opening band, a band that I had known nothing about. Frontman Paul Meany was excellent and I found myself tapping my foot to the beat of their music while snapping photos. A mix of jazz, rock, blues and electronic music they displayed excellent musicianship during their hour-long set. Meany was definitely the highlight of the set as he bounced back and forth between a piano and electronic keyboard between songs. However, their songs started to sound the same after awhile, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they were a great band to open up the night.

MUTEMATH

During the break before Linkin Park took the stage, I took a look around Jiffy Lube Live and the place was pretty packed. Apparently it wasn’t sold out but I don’t see how that was true, seeing as the general admission area behind me was packed with people pressing up against the barricade and I couldn’t see any vacant spots in the seating area. There was definitely a buzz amongst the crowd and several times there were “Link-in Park, Link-in Park” chants.

Finally after a bit of a delay, they came out on stage to the theme song from “Game of Thrones” to a huge ovation and launched into the hip-hop inspired “With You,” off their first album Hybrid Theory. To me, it’s always a good sign when the crowd sings along with the chorus to one of the first songs of the night and that’s exactly what went down here. As a matter of fact, it seems like the crowd sang along for a lot of the night.

Shinoda

“Faint” was the next song and the crowd roared again during the familiar opening. I could hear several people just beyond the barricade trying to keep up with Mike Shinoda’s high speed rap. But for the night, nothing was as thrilling as seeing Chester Bennington lean over the stage and scream into the mic, a long howl which seemingly lasted forever. Getting to snap photos at a rapid pace of that moment was awesome.

Chester Bennington

Bennington might be best known for his screams but I was constantly impressed by him through the whole show due to his versatility. His vocals sounded great on slower more melodic songs such as “Waiting For The End” and especially on the ballad “Leave Out All The Rest.” He also briefly played guitar for “Iridescent” and pounded out beats on a pair of drums with during “Empty Spaces” along with guitarist Brad Delson and drummer Rob Bourdon while Shinoda rapped. Having three sets of drums on stage was one of the highlights of the show for me, it showed off the bands flexibility and overall talent level.

Brad Delson

And that’s what I really took away from the whole evening, this is a band that has grown and matured over the years. I didn’t give A Thousand Suns much of a chance because it was a departure from the Linkin Park that I knew and that I liked. That angry hard rock/metal band had experimented with different sounds and styles on that album and their newest release, Living Things and it wasn’t what I had wanted or expected. But Saturday night showed me that this band can still show its teeth when they need to, but isn’t afraid to take risks in exploring new territories.

Bennington

Other highlights: The last song before the set was “Bleed It Out” which morphed into the band playing “Sabotage” by the Beastie Boys. The aforementioned ballad medley of “Leave Out All The Rest/Shadow Of The Day/Iridescent.” The encore consisting of “What I’ve Done” and “One Step Closer.” The debut of “Victimized” off the new album turning into a medley of “Qwerty,” “Lying From You” and “Papercut.”

Shinoda

Setlist:

Game of Thrones Intro
With You
Faint
Given Up
Victimized/Qwerty/Lying From You/Papercut
Somewhere I Belong
New Divide
In My Remains
Empty Spaces
When They Come For Me
Waiting For The End
Breaking The Habit
Leave Out All The Rest/Shadow Of The Day/Iridescent
The Catalyst
Burn It Down
In The End
Numb
Bleed It Out/Sabotage
Encore:
Lost In The Echo
What I’ve Done
One Step Closer

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We Love Music: Slash http://www.welovedc.com/2012/05/09/we-love-music-slash/ http://www.welovedc.com/2012/05/09/we-love-music-slash/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 17:21:01 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=84101 Slash on stage at Ram's Head Live with Myles KennedyPhotos by author

If you grew up in the 80’s and early 90’s like I did, you might have been a fan of Guns N’ Roses. While they’re still around today, they hardly resemble the lineup that featured Slash, Duff McKagan and Izzy Stradlin. The name might be the same but the band now seems to consist of Axl Rose and a group of randoms.

I’ve got a lot of good memories growing up and watching their videos on MTV…you know when MTV was more about showing great bands instead of pregnant teenagers. Guns N’ Roses produced some of the biggest and best videos of the time and while they might not stand up over the test of time, they were a part of my childhood memories. And the best part of those videos for me wasn’t Axl Rose or the the high production value; no, the best part of the videos was the lead guitarist. Slash was the guy who stepped up on top of the grand piano in the “November Rain” video and unleashed an amazing solo. He was the one driving the late 60’s Mustang in the “Don’t Cry” video, the one who was playing with his pet snake in the “Patience” video, the one who was always wearing a top hat and sunglasses, smoking a cigarette and just looking more badass than anyone else.

Appearance and mystique aside, it’s no secret that he’s one hell of a guitar player. The opening riff to “Sweet Child of Mine,” is one of the most recognizable guitar parts in rock and roll history and his solos in “November Rain” and “Paradise City” are just as recognizable as well.

Since his Guns ‘N Roses days Slash has stayed busy releasing an album with Slash’s Snakepit, two with Velvet Revolver, his own solo album and two live albums.  And last Thursday in Baltimore kicked off the “Apocalyptic Love” tour which will support his new album of the same name due to be released on May 22nd. Apocalyptic Love is an album of completely new material with Slash’s new band, “The Conspirators” featuring singer Myles Kennedy, bassist Todd Kerns, rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck and Brent Fitz on drums.

So when I had the opportunity to cover this show for WLDC, I jumped at the chance, happily making the drive up to Baltimore to Ram’s Head Live to catch the show and to see what Slash had to offer.

Two bands opened up for Slash, the first being Hillbilly Herald, from Los Angeles California.  Upon hearing the name, I had an idea of what Hillbilly Herald might look like and I was right; long hair, shaggy beard and all around grungy. With a mic stand made of stacked PBR cans, Hillbilly Herald came out and blasted the audience with hard rock for a half hour incorporating the  wailing banshee vocals of lead singer Jimmy Herald and screaming guitars. They paid homage to a band that they obviously draw inspiration from as they threw down a great version of AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” with Herald doing a great Bon Scott impression. The other highlight of their set was their original song “Yellow Belly” which reminded me of Motorhead. Jimmy Herald is a great showman and he was constantly moving around the stage and working the crowd. They were one of the best opening bands I’ve seen in a long time and played for an enthusiastic, welcoming crowd and there was no shortage of people around their merch table after their set.  You can check them out at www.hillbillyherald.com.

Hillbilly Herald

Brand New Sin was the next band to take the stage and while they hit hard and played well, they didn’t seem to reach the crowd like Hillbilly Herald did. Lead singer Kris Wiechmann is definitely a capable vocalist and lead guitarist Tommy Matkowski ripped some excellent solos but maybe I was still reeling from Hillbilly Herald’s set or maybe I was just more focused on Slash taking the stage next. Brand New Sin didn’t do anything necessarily bad, they just didn’t do anything extremely memorable. However, the audience seemed to appreciate them more than I did as they got a great reception. Brand New Sin’s website is www.brandnewsin.com.

Brand New Sin

Finally, Slash lead The Conspirators out onto the stage and they launched into their set with “Mean Bone,” one of my favorites and one of three songs they would play off the Slash’s Snakepit album. Overall the setlist was a great mix of songs from all parts of Slash’s career and I felt that they were most of the songs you’d want to hear at his show. Guns ‘N Roses highlights consisted of “Night Train,” “Rocket Queen,” “Sweet Child of Mine,” and “My Michelle.” Two of the best parts of the night were the extended solo Slash took on Rocket Queen and the two solos during Sweet Child of Mine. At this point in his career he could probably fall out of bed and nail the solos in Sweet Child of Mine but they were still amazing as he nailed every single note, exactly the same way you hear it on the record. Unbelievable.

Slash debuted only two new songs from his upcoming album which I found to be a bit odd. Maybe he’ll incorporate more of them into their sets later in the tour after the album is released and fans are more familiar with them. However, “You’re a Lie” and “Standing In The Sun” mixed right into the set with Slash’s signature guitar sound and excellent solos. I was hoping to hear some more new material as well as the Godfather solo which has become a staple of Slash’s shows. Those were my only two minor complaints of the night.

Singer Myles Kennedy did an excellent job throughout the night and should be considered one of the best working vocalists today. If you closed your eyes during the show, it’d probably be hard to tell the difference between him and Axl Rose at this point in their respective areers. He also covered Scott Weiland’s Velvet Revolver vocals really well on “Slither,” “Sucker Train Blues,” “Dirty Lil Thing,” and “Fall to Pieces.” Bassist Todd Kerns stepped in and provided vocals for “Doctor Alibi,” a song originally sang on Slash’s solo album by Lemmy from Motorhead. Kerns did an admirable job of matching Lemmy’s growling scratchy voice and was probably the most noticeable member of the band outside of Slash and Kennedy as he was all over the stage for the entire night.

However, there was no doubt that the night was a tribute of sorts to the recently inducted Hall of Fame axeman and his career. Fans sang along to practically all of the Guns ‘N Roses and Velvet Revolver songs, most notably on “Sweet Child of Mine” and “Fall to Pieces.” The encore consisted of the intense “By The Sword” and then “Paradise City.” And when Slash started the final and perhaps the most blistering solo of the night on “Paradise City,” confetti cannons burst on either side of the stage with a loud explosion. Slash was undeniably the man of the of the night as he not only left the crowd in awe but left the members of the other bands looking on in amazement as they watched from the merch tables.  He’s cemented himself as one of the best guitar players of all time and if you are a fan of hard rock, there’s no excuse to miss him when he comes back through town.  Check out upcoming tourdates at www.slashonline.com.

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Setlist:
Mean Bone
Dirty Lil Thing
Ghost
Night Train
Rocket Queen
Back From Cali
Sucker Train Blues
Standing in the Sun
Fall to Pieces
Dr. Alibi
Speed Parade
Watch This
Starlight
You’re a Lie
My Michelle
Just Like Anything
Sweet Child of Mine
Slither

Encore:
By the Sword
Paradise City

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We Love Music: Virgin Mobile Free Fest 2011 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion, 9/10/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/09/15/we-love-music-virgin-mobile-free-fest-2011-merriweather-post-pavilion-91011/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/09/15/we-love-music-virgin-mobile-free-fest-2011-merriweather-post-pavilion-91011/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 15:00:20 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=75350
all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

It was late on We…

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all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

It was late on Wednesday afternoon when I found out that I was going be covering the 2011 Virgin Mobile FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion this past Saturday. My finger started ping-ponging down the list of the two different stage line-ups, as I began to count how many bands would be there on Saturday. Thirteen! And this didn’t count the third “Dance Forest” stage that would be hosting DJ’s all day. I knew my work was cut out for me.

The Virgin Mobile FreeFest has been held at Merriweather Post Pavilion since 2006 and this looked to be one of the strongest lineups yet.* I arrived right on time to start photographing the bands and checking out what else the FreeFest had to offer.

Alberta Cross: Alberta Cross, hailing from Brooklyn, New York was the first band on the bill. Not knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by their sound which at first reminded me a little bit of Nirvana as they seemed to use their classic soft/loud/soft formula of songwriting. However, there’s more of a blues and southern rock influence involved in their music. Singer Petter Ericson Stakee has a soulful voice and the guitar work of Sam Kearney is where the southern influence really comes through.

Photographers are usually able to photograph the first three songs of a bands set during a concert but the rules for FreeFest only allowed us to shoot the first two songs. I initially groused at the prospect of not being able to photograph the first three songs but quickly learned that it would help me make it to the different performances on time.

The first two songs from Alberta Cross’s set were “The Thief and The Heartbreaker,” and “Lay Down“. And while preparing this review, I found myself listening to their song “ATX” which has a harder edge than the two songs I heard on Saturday.

Alberta Cross will be back in the DC area on October 25th at the 9:30 Club.

Bombay Bicycle Club: Bombay Bicycle Club is a British based indie-rock band and were the second band of the afternoon, playing on the Pavilion stage. I arrived a bit early in time for their set and was surprised to see a decent crowd already gathering to see their set.

Formed in 2005, the band has just released their third full length album in August, however singer Jack Steadman mentioned that this was their first time ever playing in the States and how excited they were to be here. I liked their sound, it was very upbeat and pop influenced, the type of music you’d hear on Jersey Shore before they head to a commercial. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’m not afraid to admit that I like the adventures of Snooki, Situation and the gang as well as the music that appears on that show.

The song from their set that I really liked was “Always Like This“. Unfortunately, Bombay Bicycle Club won’t be returning to the area anytime soon as their tour has them making some brief stops in Canada before heading back to the UK. However, this is a band that you should keep an eye on for the future.

Two Door Cinema Club: I had the misfortune of having to see this band earlier this year and wondered if they could still be as bad as they were back then.

It was the same driving beat over and over for the first two songs, they sounded exactly the same. I even stuck around for part of their third song to try and see if it’d be any different. It wasn’t.

Fortunately, I wasn’t trapped inside of the 9:30 Club this time around, trying to wait and see the headlining band. I shot their first two songs, and promptly left. However, if you’re interested, the first two songs they played were “Cigarettes in the Theatre” and “Undercover Martyn.”

Okkervil River: Okkervil River was one of the bands I was really looking forward to as they’ve had a good following for a few years now. A good friend of mine tried sending me a song of theirs a few months ago and I thought the sampling was decent folk music, but nothing spectacular. However, for being the fourth band on the bill and for taking the stage so early in the afternoon, they had drawn a large crowd in the Pavilion.

Frontman Will Sheff led the band out on stage, and he looked every bit of the part of an English major with his trendy close cropped beard, tweed jacket and black framed glasses. It’s actually fitting because Sheff was an English major. I was expecting folk music but Okkervil actually hit pretty hard with an uptempo version of “For Real” and Sheff was all over the stage, bouncing back and forth between they keyboardist and lead guitarist, then back to the drum riser. The next song was “John Allyn Smith Sails” and they worked in a medley of the Beach Boys classic song “Sloop John B.”

It was a great performance and I wish I could have stayed for more, so I raced back from the Big Sean set in time to catch Sheff hunched over his guitar on stage, finishing their setlist. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like Okkervil River will be back in the DC area anytime soon.

Big Sean: Ugh.

Big Sean’s set was appropriately placed as the fifth act of the afternoon, and if you were walking back and forth between the two stages trying to take in all of the bands like I was, you might have been ready for something a little different, some hip hop to get the juices flowing and create a bit of a party atmosphere.

Big Sean certainly did that, as he drew a large crowd to the outdoor stage. The buzz for his set was palpable as I overheard a few people talking about how excited they were to see his show, with a couple people mentioning that he was the only reason they came out. Really? Ok…

My issue with Big Sean’s set wasn’t that he failed at his perceived task, it’s in the way that he did it. He certainly got the crowd excited and played up to them, working his way back and forth on the stage, walking out to the sides and getting as close as he could to the people. However, I could have done without the part where he stuck his hand down his boxers. Or the part where where he dangled the microphone in front of his groin. Or the part with the overtly misogynistic lyrics that I probably can’t type here.

Hey, I don’t have an issue with rap or hip hop. I’ve listened to more than my fair share and I’ve got a lot of it on my iPod. However the difference between Big Sean and someone like Talib Kweli, Lupe Fiasco or even Eminem is that there’s no brilliance behind Big Sean’s lyrics. Eminem is clever, and while he’s had his misogynistic moments everyone who has spent time listening to him knows that he’s battling his inner demons and is full of contradictions and conflict. Eminem raps from personal pain, Talib and Lupe keep their lyrics insightful, thoughtful while at the same time bringing a lot of energy to the stage and getting the party started. Big Sean was rapping from…well, I’m not sure. the mic dangling, the crotch grabbing, the unoriginal content, it was all a bit sophomoric. Especially juxtaposed between the talented performances of Okkervil River and Grace Potter, it seemed a bit out of place.

Big Sean’s first two songs were “Too Fake” and “Supa Dupa Lemonade

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: When I went up to Atlantic City to shoot the Dave Matthews Caravan this past June, Grace Potter was on the third day of the three day festival. Unfortunately, my friend and I decided to leave that morning and I missed her performance and at the time it didn’t look like she was coming to the DC area for the rest of the summer.

This was one of the best performances of the entire day, probably my favorite performance aside from the Black Keys. Grace Potter is a hybrid of Tina Turner and Janis Joplin and her backing band kicks ass. While my friend and I were in Atlantic City, I checked out her website and read her interview as well as the interviews with all of the band members. One thing that was constantly mentioned throughout was each members love of the film “The Last Waltz,” Martin Scorsese’s seminal concert documentary of The Band’s last performance which guest starred musicians like Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton and many others. Well, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals would have fit in just fine on that stage back in 1978 and I think that’s the highest praise I can give.

Potter came out brandishing a Gibson Flying V and started her set with a hard hitting version of “Ah Mary“. Potter has a dynamic stage presence and her band is tight and they immediately grabbed everyone who was in attendance. I looked behind me and the Pavilion seats were practically full and the standing room area was definitely packed. The next song was “Only Love” which featured Potter behind the electric piano but still didn’t lack any energy. She finished the song by coming out and dancing with the rest of the band, banging away with her tambourine while the band jammed.

Great performance, and as I mentioned before, probably the best of the day aside from the Black Keys. Unfortunately, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals don’t look to be coming back to the DC area anytime soon.

Cut Copy: Cut Copy is an electronic band from Australia who has been together since 2001 and they were playing at the outdoor stage. I stayed at Grace Potter for as long as I could before heading over to catch this set and by the time I got there, a sizable crowd had already gathered.

They started their set with “Take Me Over” which transported me back to the 80’s. It made me feel like I should have been cruising around Miami wearing an outfit that Crockett or Tubbs would be proud to wear. It also reminded me immediately of “This Must Be The Place” by the Talking Heads which you’ll know from the movie “Wall Street.” It’s the type of music that gets everyone dancing and depending on who you’re around that can either be great or horrible. Cut Copy’s brand of music isn’t necessarily my first choice as I tend to like rock music a bit more, however they were great. It’s very accessible and easy to dance to and while I was taking photos, I couldn’t help but tap my feet. However, I know that I can’t dance and I was able to refrain.

Cut Copy won’t be in the DC area anytime soon but if you’re up for a road trip they’ll be playing a few dates in North Carolina at the end of September.*

Patti Smith: It’s not every day you get to see a living legend, so I was pretty excited to see Patti Smith. “The Godmother of Punk” drew a big crowd to the Pavilion Stage and there were a lot of older people who came out to see her. Some of them were actually up front and pressed up against the barricade! Dedicated fans are nice to see, one of them even had a book Smith had written and was waving it above her head when Smith took the stage.

Patti came out with an old polaroid camera, smiling and snapping a few photos of the crowd. She put it down and opened her set with a reggae inspired song, one that I wasn’t familiar with and didn’t know the name of. Not what I expected and not what I really wanted to see, and I hoped that this wasn’t going to be a case of a performer shelving their hits and trying to get their new music across. It was a good song, but it wasn’t punk.

My worries were quickly laid to rest as she broke out a searing version of “Free Money” and beneath the grey hair I could see a sinister, mean look that was definitely very punk. She spit on the stage, curled her lip and belted the chorus into the microphone, put her foot up on the speaker and owned the stage. It was an awesome moment.

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Patti Smith’s next and only date for 2011 is in New York City on December 2nd.

Cee Lo Green: Cee Lo Green succeeded where I thought Big Sean failed, successfully bringing a party atmosphere to the day. He opened his set with “Bright Lights Bigger City” which had an infectious groove and the whole place was rocking. Backed by a great all female band, Cee Lo showed off why he’s one of the best entertainers in music today. The big man moved all over the stage, reaching out and touching audience members hands where he could and interacting with the crowd between songs.

While he’s probably best described as R&B, there’s a lot of musical influences that come across in his music. In the short time I got to see him, there was some hard rock influence and some soul as well. I didn’t get a chance to stick around for his big hit “**** You,” but I heard he followed that up with a cover of “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash.

The second song of his set was ChamPain and I was actually able to find a decent crowd video of the song.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Cee Lo Green is touring anytime soon.

TV on the Radio: TV on the Radio took the Pavilion stage and I was excited to see this band that I’d never heard of before. There was quite a buzz thoughout the day about them, I’d heard several people say that their show was definitely one to see.

TVOTR was awesome and as a matter of fact I skipped out on the next performance by Empire of the Sun to find an empty seat in the Pavilion and stay and watch the rest of their performance. I was captivated by lead singer Tunde Adebimpe as he slowly raised the intensity of their opening song “Young Liars” which was made me put down my camera for a few moments and just listen to take it all in. There’s a lot going on in their music, from the guitar work of Kyp Malone to the bass lines and trombone, there was a lot to take in both from an visual and audio perspective. They don’t fall into one specific genre and while it’d be easy to pigeonhole them as rock they’re so much more than that. There’s elements of blues and jazz, psychedelic rock, maybe some spoken word and there is also elements of electronic music as well. It’s always changing and it’s almost always intense. TVOTR’s music seamlessly blends all of these types of music together and serves it up in one exciting burst of energy.

Most of all, it was clear that they gave everything they had which was awesome. Go to enough concerts and shows and you’ll become aware of who’s mailing it in and not giving their best effort. TVOTR is not that band.

Unfortunately, they won’t be coming back to the DC area anytime soon.

The Black Keys: Finally.

I’m willing to argue that The Black Keys are the most important band in rock music today. And if they’re not the most important, they definitely deserve their place in the conversation. All of their albums are brilliant, but most importantly the blues influence that they bring to the table smacks you in the face so hard you can’t ignore it.

My musical biases lie with rock n roll and blues as opposed to heavy synthesizer pop music. While I can appreciate that type of music and listen to some of it, I don’t think it’ll ever shape the musical landscape that blues has. And if The Black Keys can influence a kid to go pick up an album by Junior Kimbrough, Muddy Waters or B.B. King and turn them on to the blues, they’ve done a great job. I don’t want to sound like someone’s parent here, but it’s too late…there aren’t as many kids out there who are listening to the blues and that’s a shame.

If you don’t know who they are, The Black Keys are from Akron, Ohio and they consist of guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney who are childhood friends. Their first album “The Big Come Up” was recorded on an 8-track machine in Carney’s basement and they’ve been on the rise ever since. Since early 2002, they’ve released 6 studio albums culminating with 4 Grammy wins in 2011 for their work on their latest album “Brothers”. They’ve also worked on several other side projects, most notably a hip hop album called “Blackroc” and an EP of Junior Kimbrough covers.

They were a little late coming out and the crowd started a “Black Keys, Black Keys!” chant. I looked around behind me and the Pavilion was packed and from what I could tell the lawn was, too. They came out to a giant ovation and promptly launched into a version of “Thickfreakness“. Auerbach’s guitar growled while Carney pounded on the drums. Watching Patrick Carney play the drums is like watching Lawrence Taylor play football; it’s vicious, it’s hard hitting and it’s awesome.

I think one of the best compliments I can give them is that they sound like they do on their records. There’s a lot of distortion, there’s a lot of feedback, it’s dirty, gritty and raw, which is exactly how they play in concert, only amplified. For a two piece band, it’s extremely loud. Auerbach’s vocals are bluesy enough to make you a believer, there aren’t many white guys out there who can sing the blues and not sound contrived. Auerbach is the real deal.

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They followed up their opening song with two of their favorites, an extended version of “The Girl Is On My Mind” and “The Breaks” The fourth song was “Stack Shot Billy” which happens to be one of my favorites so I was really excited that I got to hear them play it live. Unfortunately, I couldn’t stay longer, I had to get back to the outdoor field for DeadMau5.

It was just announced that The Black Keys will be headlining a tour of Europe to start 2012, and no US dates have been announced. But the good news is that their 7th album should be released by the end of 2011.

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DeadMau5: DeadMau5 didn’t have a photo pit due to an expansive stage setup, so there wasn’t a place to take photos from. However, I received an email along with my confirmation saying that I was selected to shoot part of DeadMau5’s set from the sound booth, along with a few of the other photographers. I was gracious for the special treatment and the opportunity and made sure to be at the assigned meeting place on time.

We were walked into the soundbooth and were instructed to wait for a certain part of DeadMaus’s show to when we could start taking photos. So we waited..and waited…and waited…and hey, I could have been in there rocking out to the Black Keys, still! Finally, it came time to snap some photos and there was a lot of fog from the stage, which added to my frustration. Being so far away from the stage, it was hard to get anything good.

I’m not a fan of techno music so I don’t know how DeadMau5 really stacks up to other DJs out there. It’s obvious that he has a huge following, there were a ton of people in the field and throughout the day I saw a ton of tshirts and fake mouse heads that people were wearing. The light/laser show was really awesome, the best I’ve ever seen at any show, anywhere.***

DeadMau5 just announced two surprise shows at the new Fillmore Silver Spring for September 21st and 22nd.

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Overall Experience:

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Virgin Mobile Free Fest was a great time. Thankfully the wet weather we had all week leading up to it held off and the weather was excellent. There was a lot of mud in the outdoor stage, but other than that, the conditions couldn’t have been any better.

I didn’t get a chance to explore a lot of the booths due to walking back and forth between the stages, making sure I was on time for the sets and trying to take notes to write the review. However you couldn’t look anywhere without seeing people carrying around posters, tshirts, and other free swag that was being given away. Face paint and body paint was everywhere. I walked through the forest where the booths were and there also tents set up where people could cool off and relax on wicker lawn chairs.

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Some of the performers artists and performers were Albus Cavus, a community of public artists who are dedicated to having citizens in urban areas participate in workshops and school programs in order to raise social awareness and clean up inner city areas. At their interactive booth, you could create a signature Virgin Mobile Free Fest piece.

The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and the Flippenout Extreme Trampoline Show were also on hand to entertain concertgoers. I saw some of their acts and they were pretty incredible, particularly the trampoline show.

The Skatepark of Baltimore had set up a mini-half pipe and this is where I spent most of my time between sets as it as on my walk between the Pavilion stage and the outdoor stage. Skatepark of Baltimore’s goal is to facilitate the construction of a public custom skatepark in the city of Baltimore.

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I think it’s probably the best way to spend a late summer afternoon as there was always something to do and lots of great music to be heard. I was really happy to go and cover this event for WLDC, so I’m not complaining when I say I wish I had more time to spend checking out the booths and shops. This was my first Virgin Mobile Free Fest show, but it certainly won’t be my last.

* Check out our coverage of Virgin Mobile Free Fest 2010.

** Our less than impressed coverage of Cut Copy’s last visit.

*** Andrew may have had a tough time shooting Deadmau5 at Free Fest, but we got AMAZING shots from his shows at 9:30 Club.

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We Love Music: Sweetlife Festival 2011 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/05/04/we-love-music-sweetlife-festival-2011/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/05/04/we-love-music-sweetlife-festival-2011/#comments Wed, 04 May 2011 17:00:30 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=69383
all photos by author.

Sweetgreen is a locally es…

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all photos by author.

Sweetgreen is a locally established restaurant chain that was founded in 2007 by three former Georgetown students, Nicolas Jammet, Jonathan Neman, and Nathaniel Ru. In four short years, they have spread their environmentally conscious and healthy living message through the DMV area as well as into Pennsylvania. With a focus on sourcing locally grown and organic foods, Sweetgreen also provides a casual and relaxed dining experience. The three founders believe in leaving a the smallest carbon footprint possible and providing their customers with healthy food choices.

They also believe in throwing a kick ass music festival every year.

This past Sunday was the second annual Sweetlife Festival held at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. The lineup brought up-and-coming talent to the stage as well as well as some of the best known artists on the scene today.

In addition to the music, concertgoers were able to taste food provided by sweetgreen as well as partners such as Applegate Farms, Honest Tea, Stonyfield Farm Pop Chips and Keany Produce. Amongst the digital and interactive media partners that were on hand were Hipstamatic, Color, and Fast Society. And due to the presence of OPOWER, a company with a focus on energy efficiency, the Sweetlife Festival was able to calculate the carbon footprint of the event in an effort to create a carbon neutral event. Plenty of free swag was available and you couldn’t look anywhere without seeing tons Applegate Farms stickers professing love for meat (organic and chemical free meat, of course).

How has all of this come together in four short years? I’m not exactly sure, but it’s extremely clear that the Sweetgreen message is being carried quickly and loudly. With an impressive musical lineup, great sponsors and an important message of thoughtful living from sweetgreen, the stage was set for an enjoyable day.

Modern Man: The first band for the afternoon was Modern Man, from Washington DC. A pretty sizeable crowd had rushed into the Pavilion as soon as doors opened so it was nice to see the opening band get some love. I was curious to see Modern Man as they have generated some local buzz lately and have played at such venues such as The Velvet Lounge and The Black Cat.

Frontman Lee Cain and guitarist Zach Goodwin wore large smiles as they came out to a large welcoming. Modern Man’s sound could be described as similar to Creedence Clearwater Revival’s harder songs with a hint of outlaw country-rock sound. Cain showed off a nice range of vocal capabilities; soft and sweet in one moment and then soulful and deep the next. There are a lot of local bands in the DC area but Modern Man is a band I’d be happy to pay a cover to see.

If you want to check out Modern Man’s music, you can visit their page and download some free tunes.
Lee Cain of Modern Man

U.S. Royalty Man, I felt bad for these guys at first. Another band from DC, U.S. Royalty came out on stage and seemed to have problems with their soundcheck. Who were these guys? With shaggy beards and hair and clothes adorned with bird feathers and fringe they certainly didn’t look like they were from DC; they looked like they stumbled out of a juke joint in Nashville or somewhere in Mississippi. Also worth a mention was the guitarist tight bellbottom Uncle Sam pants that were straight out of the 70’s. The band couldn’t get their levels right and the soundcheck seemingly took forever leaving U.S. Royalty looking a bit frustrated and perhaps a bit embarrassed.

Finally their set started and U.S. Royalty kicked ASS! Sending booming waves of southern rock and out of the Pavilion and into the lawn seats, U.S. Royalty was probably my favorite act of the day. I’m still not quite sure how these guys are from DC as I’ve never seen a band from this area with so much swagger and (deserved) cockiness on stage. Singer John Thornley conjured up comparisons in my mind to a young Mick Jagger, Jim Morrison and when he picked up the mic stand I was especially reminded of Axl Rose in his prime. There was no shortage of energy on stage throughout their set and I wish it had only lasted longer.

And that guitarist with the pants? John Thornley’s brother, Paul, absolutely shreds. Drummer Luke Adams and bassist Paul Michael provided an awesome pocket on “Hollywood Hollows” which reminded me of The Doors classic “Five to One.” My skepticism was quickly put to rest as I was made aware that U.S. Royalty is the real deal.

The band is headed out on tour to open up for Third Eye Blind. You can check out their tour schedule on their site as well as a video for “Equestrian” off their debut album “Mirrors” that was just released in January.
John Thornley of U.S. Royalty

Walk the Moon:

Following the biggest surprise of the day was Walk the Moon, a four piece band hailing from Cincinnati. Band leader Nicholas Petricca showed off his versatility by providing extra percussion to the bands sound, giving them two drummers for a dynamic, pulsing beat. Petricca also played synthesizers on certain parts of songs as well and at times effortlessly switched between the two in the same song.

Having appeared on Last Call with Carson Daly on April 1st for a SXSW special, Walk the Moon has been gaining a lot of attention recently. With dance friendly tunes such as “Anna Sun” Walk the Moon brought an 80’s pop vibe to the stage. If you like a high energy performance complete with face paint (it’s a staple of the band’s culture) this is the band for you. The Sweetlife crowd had grown considerably since the doors had open by the time they took the stage and by the end of their set the pit was jumping up and down to the beat of their songs.

Walk the Moon’s summer plans consist of appearances at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza but if you want to catch them on their return trip to the DC area, they’ll be at the Black Cat on June 13th.

Nicholas Petricca of Walk the Moon

Theophilus London:

The coolest cat on the stage at Sweetlife in 2011? Theophilus London.

Strutting out onto the stage wearing an oversized floppy sequined hat and a Michael Jackson “Moonwalker” t-shirt, the lanky London is an indie-style rapper with an 80’s flair. However, to pigeonhole him as just a rapper is hard to do as he’s more than that and could be compared to B.o.B and Kid Cudi from a versatility perspective.Throughout his set there were elements of techno, electronica and new wave sounds readily available to please the crowd, all while keeping his hip-hop roots. The Brooklyn native has been called the hip-hop version of Morrissey and has collaborated with Sara Quin (of Tegan and Sara fame) on his latest EP.

Check out his work on “Flying Overseas” which was part of his set on Sunday and you’ll see why Theophilus London made me want to hop in the DeLorean and go back to 80’s Miami to hang with Crockett and Tubbs. Also worth a listen is another song that was part of his set on Sunday “Why Even Try,” which brings more catchy hooks and grooves to the table.

If you like hip-hop that isn’t predictable and out of the box, Theophilus London is someone you’ll want to check out.

Theophilus London

Ra Ra Riot:

Indie scene veterans Ra Ra Riot took the stage next. A six piece band hailing from Syracuse, NY, Ra Ra Riot has put together an impressive resume after forming just five short years ago. With extensive tours that have taken them throughout the States as well as overseas, the band received a warm greeting.

Ra Ra Riot might have been almost as eclectic as Theophilus London, but on a different level. While the band definitely had some synthesizer infused songs but also has an excellent violinist in Rebecca Zeller and a cellist in Alexandra Lawn. Singer Wes Miles provided soulful and emotional vocals. Lawn actually took over singing duties on a song towards the end of the set and did a great job in her own right.The band’s makeup is a blend that just doesn’t make sense on paper with the orchestral instruments and the new wave sounds generated by the synthesizer. However, Ra Ra Riot makes it work and makes it work well. The performance was intense and had a lot of energy, something I wasn’t expecting with a violin and cello on stage as Lawn and Zeller played songs at a feverish tempo in their set. When was the last time you saw anyone rock out on a cello? It’s a tight band that works together seamlessly and provides beautiful textures and tones in their music.

Ra Ra Riot is embarking on a tour of Europe for the first part of summer but they’ll be back in Baltimore on Sunday, August 7th at Pier Six.

Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot

Cold War Kids:

Cold War Kids, probably most known for their 2007 hit “Hang Me Up To Dry,” was on the stage next and while I liked finding out about new artists that I hadn’t heard of before, I was ready to finally have something to sing along to.

CWK just released their latest album “Mine Is Yours” this past January and it’s received mixed reviews. However that doesn’t mean that they can’t put on a good performance and that’s exactly what they did on Sunday. Lead singer Nathan Willet has a fierce delivery and a commanding stage presence. Their set brought an element of straight ahead hard rock to the show that was much needed at this point. Willet switched between guitar and piano throughout the set and guitarist Jonnie Russell bashed his maracas on top of a speaker cabinet at one point, then threw them down and stepped on them.

And when it came time to “Hang Me Up To Dry” near the end of their performance, the crowd forcefully shouted back the chorus to the band. It marked the first time of the evening in which the crowd knew who was on stage and what song was being played and there was some true interaction between the performers and the people. And while the skies opened up and the rain started coming down at this time, no one really seemed to mind. People out on the lawn danced and were having a good time while CWK rocked on.

Cold War Kids

Crystal Castles:

Uhh…what?

I’d heard of Crystal Castles before as they had played at 9:30 Club this past March but didn’t know much about them. They came on late, seemingly having similar sound problems that U.S. Royalty had earlier in the show.

Crystal Castles consists of DJ Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass and when they head out on tour they bring drummer Christopher Chartrand along for the ride. When they finally got the their sound issues ironed out, the thumping electronic music started and the diminutive Alice Glass hobbled out on stage in a walking cast and a fore-arm crutch. She hopped about on stage, singing/shrieking unintelligible lyrics into the microphone.

Slightly annoyed that Crystal Castles didn’t let any photographers into the barricade to take photos during their show, I stayed in a seat I found about 4 rows behind the pit and took some photos from back there. I was informed by a girl standing next to me that the Kath had met Glass when she was 15 years old and squatting somewhere with drug addicts in Canada and asked her to collaborate with him on a music project. As I watched Glass hobble and hop across the stage with her forearm cast hoisted above her head I thought that the story – outlandish as it was- was completely believable.

Glass hauled herself down across the barricade and into the pit and crowd-surfed not once, but twice during the show. She also spent time writhing on the ground while mumbling and singing into the microphone, almost as if she was possessed, or maybe getting ready to crawl out of someone’s television set ala “The Ring.”

And then they ended their set about 5 minutes early. Glass hobbled off stage and Kath And Chartrand walked off with Kath’s music loop still playing to the crowd and allowed it to slowly wind down.

I loved it! Crystal Castles was awesome and intense. I’m not a huge fan of electronic music and I doubt I’d ever pay top dollar to see them headline a show but they absolutely brought a lot of energy and tenacity to the stage. Cold War Kids brought a little snarl to their part of the show but Crystal Castles was a flying roundhouse kick to the temple.

Alice Glass of Crystal Castles

Lupe Fiasco:

I saw Lupe Fiasco last spring at 9:30 so I knew what to prepare for. And when his band came on the stage and played a few minutes of intro music I started looking around, wondering where he’d come soaring in from. He came tearing in from the back of the stage, jumped off the drum riser high into the air and swooped down to the microphone to a thunderous applause almost as if he was a hip-hop Superman of sorts destined to save the rap community with socially conscious lyrics and stories to tell.

The diminutive Fiasco is a fireball on stage. He never stops moving and he headbangs like the fastest speed metal guitarist you could ever find. He runs from one side of the stage to the other and back. He jumps off the drum riser and sprays water into the crowd. He then takes a mouthful and bends over backwards and spits a fine mist into the air high over the stage. For an hour Fiasco brought the house down playing such favorites as “Kick, PushGo Go Gadget Flow and songs of his new album such as “State Run Radio.

Lupe Fiasco

Fiasco took time between songs to address the crowd and tell them that he believed in youth and that everyone has to come together in order to make a difference in the tough times that we’re currently in. And before introducing his song “Hip-Hop Saved My Life he admitted to the crowd that the song as written during a dark time in his life in which he contemplated suicide. He urged people who are dealing with depression to seek help and reminded college students that no exam is too important to commit suicide over.

The crowd response was incredible as Fiasco led his band through “Superstar” and his latest hit ““The Show Goes On”. The whole crowd sang the choruses back to him and after he left the stage there was no doubt as to who brought the most energy to the stage at Sweetlife. There’s also no doubt as to who the most exciting star in hip-hop is today. No one could have matched that performance.

But the next performer certainly did try.

Girl Talk:

I’m not an expert on DJ’s and their craft. I’m not an expert on the art of mash-ups. I wouldn’t know what to do with two turntables in front of me.

But I do know if I had to pick one DJ to play the last party on earth, it’d be Gregg Gillis, aka Girl Talk. The Dr. Frankenstein of mash-ups and sampling, Girl Talk put on an incredible performance and had the whole crowd juiced for an hour. With people dancing on stage and armed with two laptops and giant speakers, Girl Talk led the Pavilion crowd through the best dance party you’d ever want to be a part of.

Mad scientist of mash-ups, Girl Talk

Balloons falling from the ceiling? Check.

Leaf blowers on either side of the stage shooting rolls of toilet paper into the crowd at a machine gun rate? You got it.

Confetti exploding into the crowd? Yup.

But the magic of it all is the ability to mix up two artists that you’d never expect that could be played together and have it all make sense. Black Sabbath and Ludacris together? Exactly. I was too busy dancing and enjoying the music to keep track of all the different combinations I could recognize. However, the best suggestion I can make is to head over to www.illegalart.net and pick up some of Girl Talk’s albums, free of charge. Yes, that’s right: Girl Talk doesn’t charge anything for his cd’s.

The Strokes:

And last, but certainly not least…the much anticipated headliner, The Strokes.

After cleaning up from the certified mess of toilet paper and balloons that Girl Talk left in his wake, The Strokes took the stage shortly after 8:45 PM to a giant applause. As I entered the barricade to take photos I heard Ed Sullivan Beatlemania screams from the crowd members behind me. There was no shortage of teenage girls with anxious eyes and baited breath who launched into hysterics when Julian Casablancas lead his band onto the stage and opened their set with “Is This It” from their debut album of the same name.

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Casablancas, the King of Cool, was dressed in black leather pants, a black leather jacket and sunglasses despite a dark stage and the sun having been set for over an hour. Everything was black except the neon green/yellow Nike high tops that seemed to glow under the stage lights. An interesting choice of footwear, indeed.

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I’ve never understood The Strokes. That’s not to say I don’t like them, as I do have their first album and think it’s solid work but nothing spectacular. They’re certainly talented musicians and songwriters but their music doesn’t grab me like it seemingly does for everyone else so I was hoping that seeing them in concert would help me understand what I’ve been missing out on for awhile now.

And I still don’t understand them, and that’s fine with me. Casablancas meandered around on the stage either uninterested or trying to be cool and play up whatever persona he tries to convey. It’s not necessarily a bad thing and I’m not slamming or writing a bad review of their show, I just wasn’t as moved or entertained as I was by Lupe Fiasco or Girl Talk. They certainly have reached a lot of people with their music and the crowd response for them on Sunday night was nothing short of incredible. Other notable songs in their set were “New York City Cops” and the seminal “Last Night.

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We Love Music: Atmosphere @ 9:30 Club, 4/28 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/04/29/we-love-music-atmosphere-930-club-428/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/04/29/we-love-music-atmosphere-930-club-428/#comments Fri, 29 Apr 2011 13:00:24 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=69092
all photos by author.

As I walked down the sidewa…

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all photos by author.

As I walked down the sidewalk in front of the 9:30 Club towards the box office on Thursday afternoon, I thought I spotted a familiar face lingering amongst the crowd of fans lined up outside.

S…Slug?

Yep, it was the Minnesota rapper and leader of Atmosphere decked out in a Ben’s Chili Bowl t-shirt casually talking to fans. I picked up my ticket and headed to the back of the line and patiently waited as Slug granted every autograph request and photo op with his fans.

As the line got shorter, one of the two guys standing in front of me fumbled for something for Slug to sign.

“Uhh…can you sign my pack of Kool’s?”

“Aw, come on…gross, Kool’s?,” Slug replied with a smile as he scribbled his name down on the carton.

I’ve occasionally listened to Atmosphere over the years and knew of the rabid fan base that Slug had gained since dropping their initial album “Overcast!” in 1997. I was also aware of the kind and humble nature of Slug and I was happy to see that all the good things that I’ve read about him appeared to be true. I’ve been to my fair share of concerts and I’ve never seen anyone stand outside and talk to fans the way he did. No VIP special meet and greets here, every fan got a little face time with Slug.

Atmosphere is currently headlining the Rhymesayers Entertainment “Family Tour” which also features labelmates Blueprint, Grieves with Budo, Sab the Artist and DJ Abilities. Doors were slated to open at 5PM for an early show at the 9:30 Club on Thursday evening.

Upon entering 9:30, the crowd was greeted by the thunderous bass and scratching techniques of DJ Abilities. Mixing everything from “Paul Revere” by the Beastie Boys to “Bombs Over Baghdad” by Outkast, DJ Abilities warmed up the crowd for the first act of the evening, Sab the Artist who brought an old school flavor of hip-hop to the stage. Sounding like something you’d hear at a mid 80’s RUN DMC show, Sab also incorporates a jazz and electronic influences into his music for an eclectic blend. With songs titled “Looking at girls,” and “Just have fun,” his topics are mostly innocent and accessible to people of all ages.

Next up on the bill was Grieves and Budo, a two man show from Seattle. Grieves took the stage with his hat pulled down low over his eyes and with his small frame and slender build he looked like a kid that just stepped off a skateboard more than a rapper. Budo stayed behind the turntable scratching records, controlling the beats, playing guitar and trumpet as well. Throughout their set, Grieves worked the stage like a madman, pacing frantically back and forth and pretty soon I forgot about the appearance and was enjoying the music. The highlight of Grieves and Budo’s set was “Lightspeed,” a melodic song with introspective rhymes about growing up too fast.

DJ Abilities took the stage again to keep the crowd warm mixing Metallica, Method Man and Redman and Dead Prez. The Ohio based rapper and producer Blueprint came on, accompanied by a guitarist. Blueprint was probably the most pleasant surprise of the evening as he displayed lyrical dexterity in addition to…a keytar! Not knowing what to expect when I saw Blueprint pick the keytar up, he unleashed an blazing electric guitar sound from it to close out one of his songs. It was one of the highlights of the evening as there was a wide range of talents on display that were backing up all the rappers on the bill. Blueprint just released his album “Adventures in Counter-Culture,” which I picked up and have been able to listen through a few times. If you like your hip hop with jazz and electronic influences with socially conscious lyrics, you should check it out.

Atmosphere took the stage to close the show and I have to say it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in quite awhile. Still wearing the Ben’s Chili Bowl shirt he was sporting outside while greeting fans a few hours before, Slug threw down for over an hour and brought the house down. If you’ve been to enough concerts you can tell when artists are mailing it in and when they’re giving it their best and truly connecting with fans. And with a lyrical uppercut to your jaw, Slug connects.

There was no shortage of hands up in the air throughout the set as Slug ripped through favorites such as “Bird Sings Why The Caged I Know,” and “Guns and Cigarettes” but the highlight was the performance of “Last to Say” off the most recent album “The Family Sign”. A song that deals with the heavy topic of domestic violence, Slug guided the crowd through a soft call and response of the songs chorus to close the song out.

And that was part of the magic of the night. Slug can weave effortlessly through clever punchline lyrics one minute and paint a vivid picture of abuse and heartbreak the next. DJ Ant was great but for me one of the best parts of the show was the guitar work of Nate Collis. Collis was able to bring a various textures to the songs, helping Slug convey the feelings behind his lyrics. However he never stole the spotlight, save for a solo with middle-eastern influences that left a haunting and harrowing feeling in 9:30.

After not knowing what to expect, it was truly a great night. If you ever have an opportunity to see Atmosphere and you’re a hip hop fan, don’t miss it!

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Hot Ticket: Atmosphere @ 9:30 Club, 4/27/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/04/25/hot-ticket-atmosphere-930-club-42711/ Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:00:43 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=68801

Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Atmosph

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Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, Atmosphere has been part of the underground hip hop scene for over a decade. With such albums as “Seven’s Travels,” and “God Loves Ugly,” that posse introspective lyrics and clever rhymes, lead rapper Slug has cemented himself as one of the “must hear” rappers to have come out of the mid-west. The bands lineup has changed over the years, but the new lineup consists of Slug and DJ Ant alongside keyboardist Erick Anderson and Nate Collis. The band is touring on their 2011 release “The Family Sign,” which debuted at #13 on the Billboard 200.

Also on the hip-hop heavy bill are Blueprint, Grieves with Budo, Sab the Artist and DJ Abilities. Doors open early at 5PM so don’t be late!

Atmosphere
@ 9:30 Club
4/27 – doors 5pm
$25

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We Love Music: Cake at 9:30 Club 4/14/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/04/18/we-love-music-cake-at-930-club-41411/ Mon, 18 Apr 2011 15:00:58 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=68430
all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

Who doesn̵…

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all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

Who doesn’t love Cake?

No, not the dessert (although everyone loves it, too), I’m talking about the band who has spawned such hits as “The Distance”, “Never There”, and “Short Skirt/Long Jacket”. These are songs that I think most everyone knows and everyone can sing along to. And when Cake opened up a three night set at 9:30 Club on Thursday night, that’s exactly what the entire crowd did.

No one opened up for Cake that night; as lead singer John McCrea later explained “We’re opening up for ourselves.” Before the band came out a small tree was brought out to the front of the stage and I can’t say I’d ever seen anything like that before. Shortly after 8PM, the show started by a recorded speech that would be similar to what you’d hear from a stewardess before taking off for a flight. The recording instructed audience members to turn off all electronics including cell phones and cameras. I had a good laugh as I looked around the 9:30 Club and saw people actually pulling out their phones and cameras and shutting them down in all seriousness. C’mon, didn’t you realize what band you were coming to see?


After a piece of music that’d be perfect for a Rocky movie training scene, Cake took the stage. I snapped away for the first three songs which consisted of “Sad Songs and Waltzes”, “Opera Singer”, and “Wheels”. I quickly grew accustomed to McCrea’s large sweeping hand gestures while standing behind the microphone. I also couldn’t help but tap my foot while taking photos as Cake has a great pocket.

One of the highlights of the first half of the concert was the performance of “Frank Sinatra”, in which the band took off into an extended jam for a few minutes. I think one of the best compliments I can give the band is that they sound just like they do on their albums. And that’s one of the things you want when you go to see a band that you’ve listened to for years but have never seen in person, right? Throughout the night Cake extended most of their songs by a minute or two but stayed true to the sound that you hear on their records. McCrea even contributed his trademark “Hey!” and other various yelps right where you’d expect them.

After an intermission the band took the stage and McCrea had a question for the audience, wanting to know what famous violent act occurred in DC on this date many years ago. The audience member who had the correct answer (Lincoln’s assassination) was brought on stage to claim his prize, the aforementioned tree that was brought on stage earlier in the night. McCrea made the audience member swear before the entire crowd that he’d plant the tree and take a photo to be sent into the band’s website within a few weeks. The audience member, a teacher at Coolidge High School, said he planned to plant the tree at the school. You can take a look at Cake’s Forest and past winners here.

I’m not sure how to describe Cake’s music. I think it’s simple and there’s a lot of beauty in the simplicity as the sum of the parts make for a great sound. McCrea’s lyrics are great, there’s no doubt about that. All of the songs played on Thursday night had a great beat and a great rhythm and I can only describe it as “music that’d make me feel like I’m up to something”. If it were in a soundtrack, it’d probably be in Pulp Fiction while Vincent and Jules are in their car driving somewhere. And no review can be complete without mentioning Vince DiFiore’s trumpet skills which were on full display. Along with McCrea’s laid back vocals, DiFiore’s horn is part of Cake’s signature sound.

But as the night was drawing to a close I was dismayed to realize that Cake still hadn’t played any of their signature songs. McCrea introduced the final song of the evening as a song about “having to leave DC” and the band broke into “Never There.”

However, the absolute highlight of the evening was the three song encore. It started off with an amazing rendition of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” in which the band finally got to show it’s teeth a little bit and had the whole house rocking. Then the entire crowd sang along on “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” and afterwards McCrea informed the crowd that singing is actually an endorphin rush along the lines of having a free beer. And after a long pause the band broke into their signature song “The Distance,” capping off a great night.

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We Love Music: Tim Reynolds @ Blues Alley, 4/1/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/04/04/we-love-music-tim-reynolds-blues-alley-4111/ Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:00:19 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=67446
all photos by author.

As a photographer, I’ve ne…

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all photos by author.

As a photographer, I’ve never had band management ask me to check on a venue’s photography policy. But when Tim Reynolds publicist sent an email asking me to check on the photo policy for Blues Alley in Georgetown, I hopped on the phone.

“Yes, I’m a photographer and I’m scheduled to shoot the Tim Reynolds show you have coming up. What’s your photo policy?”

“We have no photo policy.”

“Oh, ok. So I’m good to go, anything else?”

“No, it’s a ‘no photo policy.’ We don’t allow photos at all.”

“Uh….”

“But you can shoot the soundcheck if it’s okay with Tim’s management.”

Score.

I arrived at Blues Alley early in the afternoon on Friday, April 1st and waited…and waited…and waited some more. Apparently Tim was coming down from the NJ area and had hit awful traffic on 495. Having never been to Blues Alley before, I had plenty of time to take in the atmosphere and I really liked what I found. It is exactly what I’d picture a small jazz club to be in the 40’s and 50’s with very dim lighting, very small tables, exposed brick walls and low ceilings. It’s an intimate venue and I really enjoyed it. The staff was friendly and accommodating and I plan on going back in the future.

Scheduled to play two shows that evening, Tim arrived at 5:45, or about 15 minutes before doors were supposed to open for the 8pm show. Playing a solo acoustic set, Tim was accompanied by his road manager, Fluffy, and a two other guys who were selling merchandise. Tim carried in his guitars, his guitar stands and his pedal boards and set everything up by himself. I’ve shot a lot of bands from local, regional and international acts and to see someone who is pretty well known setting up his own equipment is an interesting experience. Reynolds barely uttered a word to anyone as he wasted no time in unpacking his gear and setting everything up. Moreover, he didn’t really seem to mind doing it. Two guitars, two pedal boards and 15 minutes later the soundcheck started and I began to snap away.

For me, it wasn’t that much different than shooting a concert, except I had more access than I normally do. Seeing Reynolds warming up during his soundcheck was a sight to behold as he played bits and pieces of his songs effortlessly. He’s so talented that it’s the only way I can think to describe how he comes across when he plays. The other thing I noticed is that he seems to zone out when he plays quickly; he doesn’t look at his hands, he doesn’t look at his guitar, he just stares ahead and seems to go to another place when he plays.

The soundcheck lasted for about 15 minutes and Reynolds went up to the green room while I posted up at a table in the corner and ordered dinner. The crowd filed in and before long Blues Alley was packed. It was an interesting crowd, I expected a lot of younger people who would look like Dave Matthews fans, but it was a mix of older people who could pass for your grandparents, middle aged people and some teenagers. At 8 o’clock, Tim promptly came downstairs, took the stage and the show began.

He started his show with a song consisting of a lot of pedal work which allowed his acoustic guitar to almost sound like a sitar. I think best thing about his whole performance is the tones and emotions that Reynolds is able to coax from his instrument. Throughout the night the mood changed from bright and happy to dark and grim. In this intro, the tones were warm, the tempo was slow and it could lull you to sleep.

Reynolds followed the intro with a song called “Hopeful Heresy” an upbeat song with cheerful tones. One thing I tried to determine throughout the night is what kind of style you could categorize his music. Is it classical guitar? Blues? Funk? Rock? He certainly seems to borrow from all these styles and mixes it together. I can’t tell you what kind of music he plays because it transcends categories; it’s just damn good and impressive.

The highlight of the performance was about halfway through when Reynolds played a song called “Sinceritox,” a song you might hear in a Western movie when the gunslingers are riding into town and looking for a battle. He followed that song up with “Ancestors,” a song with an intense, driving beat which matched well with his vocals. Tim only sang on about 3 or 4 songs throughout the night but the more I listen to his voice the more it grows on me. As the song wound down and the crowd began it’s applause, Reynolds cut them off by launching into a furious, frantic solo that only got faster and faster. For me, it was the pinnacle of the night as I can’t recall seeing anyone play that fast before and Reynolds did it in his effortless fashion. I don’t think he played a bad note the entire night. He just doesn’t miss.

After a few more songs, Reynolds emptied out his bag of tricks on a 5 minute that consisted of different sound effects. He’d play a few notes, then quickly bend over and reach down to play with the dials and knobs on his pedal board, creating a soundscape that you might find in a Pink Floyd album. By the end of it, nothing sounded like an acoustic guitar as there were different echoes and sounds ricocheting all around the club. A few people stood up to see what Reynolds was doing as he was hunched over his pedal boards while he was creating his sounds. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before and he ended the song with a wry smile.

What an amazing night and an amazing show! I said similar things in my review of last months TR3 (Reynolds’ full band) performance, but he is an absolute guitar master. After seeing him in an acoustic solo environment I’m even more convinced that there’s nothing he can’t do on a guitar. If you want to get a feeling for what this show was like, I suggest you pick up “The Limbic System,” his 2010 double disc acoustic release.

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We Love Music: TR3 @ State Theater, 3/3/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/03/07/we-love-music-tr3-state-theater-3311/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/03/07/we-love-music-tr3-state-theater-3311/#comments Mon, 07 Mar 2011 16:00:06 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=65138 Reynolds brandishing his double neck guitar
all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

I first heard Ti

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Reynolds brandishing his double neck guitar
all photos by Andrew Markowitz.

I first heard Tim Reynolds on the double CD “Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live at Luther College” back in 1999. Being a big Dave Matthews fan at the time, I was constantly on the lookout for anything and everything related to DMB, so I’ll never forget the day of my senior year in high school when I saw that bright blue CD cover staring at me from the rack at Best Buy.

I haven’t listened to that album in years, but the one track that always immediately comes to mind is “Stream”, a 5 minute acoustic guitar performance that blew my mind. Who was Tim Reynolds? How the hell did he play this? It was one of those moments that many music fans know, when you hear something that’s so unbelievable you play it again and again and again…and even rewind it to hear your favorite 10-15 second snippet again and again and again…and that’s the only track I really care about on that album. I’m not as much of a Dave Matthews fan as I used to be and I don’t know where that double disc album is but I still pull up that performance from time to time just to marvel at the skill Reynolds displays in that song.

I’ve been able to photograph Reynolds three times in the last year, twice in acoustic performances with Dave Matthews and once with the full Dave Matthews Band. The first performance I saw with Reynolds and Matthews last year was at Constitution Hall and it was nothing short of incredible, one of my favorite shows of 2010. So when the opportunity arose to photograph the Tim Reynolds 3 (TR3) at State Theatre in Falls Church I jumped all over it.

I arrived at State about a half hour before the opening act, Justin Trawick took the stage and I walked in to see a crowd that…wasn’t that large. At all. I was expecting a near-capacity room but that wasn’t the case. If you’re familiar with the State Theater, all the tables were full of people eating dinner and enjoying drinks while there were about 20 people standing in front of the stage.

I’d heard of Justin Trawick and was happy to finally see him perform as he’s been generating buzz in the DC area for a few years now. Trawick’s music is self described as “urban folk rock” and it can be compared to G. Love and Special Sauce (with much better vocals than G. Love’s incredibly annoying style) and Jason Mraz. Trawick’s lyrics are thoughtful and infused with sarcastic humor. From Leesburg, Virginia, Trawick brought out a small but good crowd for an opening act as plenty of people seemed to be familiar with his music. My favorite song of his set was “White Trash Dream,” a humorous song inspired by Trawick’s time as a college student in Farmville, Virginia.

Leesburg's Justin Trawick

TR3 took the stage and I turned around to see a decent sized crowd in the standing section of State Theatre. It wasn’t packed like I expected it to be, but it was about 75% full. However, I’ve seen State Theatre sold out several times for local acts so I was surprised that someone who has played extensively with Dave Matthews didn’t draw a sell out crowd.

TR3 started off their set with the hard hitting “Gas Mask,” featuring blistering guitar solos by Reynolds. It occurred to me that I’d never seen or heard Reynolds play electric guitar exclusively so this was nice change of pace. The next song was an instrumental, “Cave Man,” which is off the TR3 2009 release, “Radiance”. For this song, Reynolds and his bandmates donned head sets with blue LCD lights over their eyes and suddenly the house lights were shut off. TR3 played the entire song in the dark while looking out at the audience with the blue lights attached to their heads, almost resembling space aliens or robots with instruments.

The next song was “Indoctrinate,” a song that showed off the range of the band. With a pocket that had my head nodding and my foot tapping, “Indoctrinate” had a solid funk base and a message that “The media is a weapon of mass destruction,” which Reynolds repeatedly sang after his solo. Hey, Tim, I’m with you on that, but the lyrics about “masturbating till you feel ok/masturbate till the shit goes away/masturbate till you feel your death/masturbate till you catch your breath” were a little odd, to say the least.

Lyrically, Tim Reynolds wasn’t the best. One song started off with the line “This song is trying to tell you something…”. Okay. But his singing was better than I anticipated after an audience member telling me that he sounded like Tom Waits. Well, Reynolds sounded a lot better than that, good enough to where his vocals didn’t take away from any of the music.

But what about the dancing? Reynolds moves around like Mick Jagger which was a surprise. But the best and funniest moves of the night belonged to bassist, Mick Vaughn who also holds the record for most hilarious faces made in a single concert. I know I wasn’t the only one who noticed as I saw several audience members pointing and laughing while Vaughn pranced around on stage. A few times throughout the night, Reynolds and Vaughn met in the middle of the stage and faced each other while playing and Vaughn made funny face after funny face at Reynolds. It never stopped and it never stopped eliciting a response from the audience. Vaughn didn’t seem to mind though.

The awesome dance moves of Mick Vaughn.

But the guitar playing…the guitar playing! Reynolds didn’t disappoint. After every song or two he’d walk over to a rack at the back of the stage, that held about six or seven guitars, and pick one up like you’d select a CD off a shelf. He had everything from a white Fender Stratocaster to a Gibson Flying V and a double neck guitar that’d make Jimmy Page proud. Reynolds is an absolute master of his craft and at times it almost seemed TOO easy for him. As mentioned earlier, he transitions effortlessly between blues, funk and rock; playing a song at a tempo that would make Metallica proud at parts. There was even a song called “Meaning to Tell You” that was reggae inspired. And that’s what I came for, to be able to see someone who his highly proficient at their craft and Reynolds delivered. Other highlights of the show were the Reynolds originals “Revelations”, “Test of Time”, and covers of “Four Sticks” by Led Zeppelin and the classic “Radar Love” with Vaughn on the vocals.

The only thing that was disappointing was the crowd. By the time the show was almost over the crowd had dwindled down to about 50 people. After snapping a bunch of photos and finally putting down my camera to take a break, I looked over my shoulder to see a largely empty State Theatre. I’m not sure what the reason was, but it was a sad sight to see. Reynolds and his band gave a lot of effort and I don’t think anyone who was there was disappointed at all. The dwindling audience was the only low-light of the night for me.

But if you like electric guitar fan, don’t miss Tim Reynolds and TR3 next time they come through!

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Hot Ticket: TR3 @ State Theater, 3/3/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/03/02/hot-ticket-tr3-state-theater-3311/ Wed, 02 Mar 2011 17:00:03 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=64596

Guitar virtuoso Tim Reynolds and his band, TR3 a…

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Guitar virtuoso Tim Reynolds and his band, TR3 are headlining the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA on March 2nd. Probably best known for his live acoustic performances alongside Dave Matthews and as a permanent member of the Dave Matthews Band, Reynolds has been performing with TR3 since 1984. The band has seen several different lineup changes over the years and now features Mick Vaughn on bass and Dan Martier on drums. TR3 is touring on their 2009 release “Radiance” which features an eclectic blend of music ranging from blues to middle eastern inspired riffs. Reynolds’ supreme technical guitar skills are constantly on display throughout the album and is a different style of music than what he plays when on stage with Dave Matthews Band.

Reynolds probably isn’t on anyone’s “Top 100 Guitarist Lists” which is a shame because anyone who has seen him perform knows that he’s an undisputed master of his instrument. Flying under the radar of such accolades is probably just fine with Reynolds and his humble demeanor, however. If you appreciate excellent guitar-work this is a show you won’t want to miss.

Tim Reynolds/TR3
w/ Justin Trawick
@ The State Theater
3/3/11 – doors: 7pm
$16

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Hot Ticket: Linkin Park @ Verizon Center, 2/10/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/02/09/hot-ticket-linkin-park-verizon-center-210/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/02/09/hot-ticket-linkin-park-verizon-center-210/#comments Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:00:06 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=62505
“A Thousand Suns” cover.

Two time …

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“A Thousand Suns” cover.

Two time Grammy Award winning rap/rock group Linkin Park comes to the Verizon Center on Thursday night. Formed in Agoura Hills, California in 1996, the band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide, including “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora”. What more can you say about a band that has spawned hard hitting songs like “One Step Closer,” Crawling,” and “Numb”? Touring on the strength of their latest album, the politically charged “A Thousand Suns”, Linkin Park promises to bring a high energy performance to the stage.

Also on the bill is Pendulum, an drum and bass band from Australia and Does It Offend You, Yeah?, a British electronic rock group. Both opening bands have been garnering considerable buzz overseas over the past two years.

If you’d like to get a preview of the concert, you can head over to linkinpark.com and get a free EP download of official bootlegged songs from the current tour featuring all three bands. Thursday night promises to be one of the most memorable concerts for the first quarter of 2011 and tickets are still available!

Linkin Park
w/ Pendulum & Does It Offend You, Yeah?
@ Verizon Center
2/10/11
$42.50 – $72.50

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We Love Music: Tokyo Police Club @ 9:30 1/19/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/01/25/we-love-music-tokyo-police-club-930-11911/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/01/25/we-love-music-tokyo-police-club-930-11911/#comments Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:00:45 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=60749
all photos by author.

I had heard of Tokyo Police …

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all photos by author.

I had heard of Tokyo Police Club before and knowing that they were popular on the indie scene I thought I’d take the opportunity to check them out at the 9:30 Club last week. I knew this was a hot ticket; it sold out rather quickly and there were people in front of the club looking for extras, so I anticipated seeing a good show.

There were two other bands on the bill, the first being Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, hailing from Springfield, Missouri. SSLYBY brought an almost Weezer-like vibe to the stage and were one of the better opening acts I’ve seen lately. Playing very melodic pop songs, they also displayed a wide range of musicianship as lead singer Philip Dickey and drummer Jonathan James switched duties partway through the set. Overall, it was an enjoyable performance and the crowd definitely was familiar with SSLYBY as they came out to a large ovation and I could see plenty of people singing along during their set.

Two Door Cinema Club was the next band on the ticket and by the time they came on the 9:30 Club was as packed like I’ve never seen it for an opening band. Had I walked in and not known who was on stage, I would have guessed the headliner was playing, especially with the giant Two Door Cinema Club banner draped behind the stage.

TDCC proceeded to play what felt like the same song for the next hour with few breaks in between. It was almost as if someone dared them to play an entire show with one beat. The crowd ate it up as there was no shortage of people dancing and fist pumping to the never changing, driving beat that unfortunately would not quit (or change). TDCC sounds like Franz Ferdinand, except Franz Ferdinand changes tempos and rhythms every once in awhile. Towards the end of their set, TDCC actually began a song with a slower pace and I hoped that I might be treated to something slower…something, you know, actually different…but after a slow intro they fell right back into the same song they played before. And the next song? Yep, a slow, 30 second intro, quickly followed by the same song they played before. Fool me once, shame on me…fool me twice…whatever…just get off the stage. After kicking my ears in the genitals for an hour, they finally did.

David Monks of Tokyo Police Club
David Monks of Tokyo Police Club

Tokyo Police Club hit the stage promptly at 10:30 and the first song on their set was “Favorite Colour” which was welcomed with a large cheer. Lead singer Dave Monks smiled as he heard the crowd sing the chorus back to him and keyboardist Graham Wright laid down a nice melody that the crowd danced to. Monks lead the crowd throughout the night in hand claps and at one point gave a shout out to the vaunted 9:30 Club cupcakes. Combining upbeat grooves and fun pop songs with thoughtful lyrics, the crowd had plenty of material to dance with and sing along to throughout the night. One nice moment was during the mellow song “Hands Reversed” when Monks raised the back of his hands to the crowd and the crowd raised their reversed hands back at him in unison.

Monks and keyboardist/guitarist Graham Wright
Monks and keyboardist/guitarist Graham Wright

Another highlight was when the band started playing the song “Breakneck Speed”. Most of TPC’s songs lasted for a matter of minutes but they took this song into an extended jam that lasted longer than all the rest. It closed with a big crescendo as Monks ran over to Wright’s keyboard and maniacally mashed the keys and I thought I heard traces of The Who’s “Baba O’Reily” before they started up a great version of their single “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)”. The crowd enthusiastically shouted back part of the chorus “Hey!…So wait up!” at the band.

Guitarist Josh Hooks
Guitarist Josh Hooks

Tokyo Police Club played for an hour, running through a good mixture of songs off their 2008 release “Elephant Shell” and their 2010 album “Champ.” The encore song for the evening was a cover of “Last Night” by The Strokes. The Strokes are an obvious influence on TPC and it was a great way to end the night.

Indie pop rock isn’t my first choice of music to listen to but I really liked what I saw from Tokyo Police Club on Thursday night. After having played large festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Bonnaroo, TPC definitely has stage presence and knows how to play to the crowd. While the songs are very short and uncomplicated, there’s a lot of beauty in their simplicity. Guitarist Josh Hook and Wright work very well together and paint their music with various tones at an expert level. If you like really fun pop music and are a fan of The Strokes, I definitely recommend Tokyo Police Club.

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We Love Music: The Pietasters @ 9:30 Club 1/8/11 http://www.welovedc.com/2011/01/11/we-love-music-the-pietasters-930-club-1811/ http://www.welovedc.com/2011/01/11/we-love-music-the-pietasters-930-club-1811/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:00:35 +0000 http://www.welovedc.com/?p=59626 IMG_5418.jpg
All photos by the author.

Growing up in Northern …

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IMG_5418.jpg
All photos by the author.

Growing up in Northern Virginia and going to high school in DC from ’95-’99, The Pietasters‘ name was definitely well known to me. I wasn’t a particularly huge fan, but I remember classmates always talking about them and their music would always be on mix-tapes playing in our darkroom during photography class. A few of my friends would go to their concerts and rave about what a good live act they were, but I never got a chance to see them. While I was in college in North Carolina, one of my friends was a big fan so their songs like “One Dollar Bill”, “Maggie Mae”, and “Movin’ On Up” became staples of our car rides back to Northern VA.

I appreciate ska music but it’s never really been in my constant rotation and since college The Pietasters have drifted off my radar. But when I was picking and choosing what bands to cover for WLDC a couple weeks ago and saw that they were playing a hometown show at the 9:30 Club on January 8th, I knew it was an opportunity for a fun night.


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And what a fun night it was! There were four bands on the bill. Starting off was The Shifters, a female fronted DC Soul/Ska band who describe their sound as “rocksteady”. Andi, their lead singer, possess silky smooth vocals that delivered a sound that was in a stark juxtaposition to the next band. Hailing from DC, Copstabber brought a hardcore punk sound to the night, playing with relentless speed and ferocity. If you like your punk music fast, hard, vulgar, offensive, and fun then Copstabber is highly recommended and it wasn’t long before a mosh pit started in the middle of the 9:30 Club floor.

The third act was HR, a DC music legend. The former lead singer for the seminal punk band Bad Brains, HR has reached into his Rastafarian roots to produce a mellow reggae sound. Slight in stature, peaceful and mellow in demeanor, it was hard for me to believe that he was a wild punk icon in his heyday.  Nonetheless, HR and his band were great; especially if you like reggae. With their solid rhythm section and warm guitar tones, I was able to forget that it was below freezing outside.

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The Pietasters hit the stage at 11:30 and the crowd came alive as frontman Stephen Jackson wasted no time in leading his tight sounding band through songs that most everyone recognized and was able to sing along to. The first song, “Out All Night” was off their “Willis” album and the crowd shouted the lyrics of the chorus back to Jackson when he held his microphone out to the audience. Standing right next to the stage I could feel the people behind me jumping up and down as I was taking my photos. I don’t think Jackson stood still for the entire performance, he was constantly in motion and all over the stage. It’s safe to say The Pietasters brought it on Saturday night as every band member displayed a ton of energy.

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A few songs in crowd excitement went even higher when Jackson dedicated a song to the bartenders who were working at 9:30 that night and the band launched into “Maggie Mae.” Everyone around me was singing along and I started to sing as well while taking photos as it’s my favorite Pietasters song. The energy level was infectious as Jackson stood on the edge of the stage shouting the lyrics with the crowd. “Maggie Mae bring us another beer we need another beeeeeeeeeeerrrrrr…”.  Jackson paced back and forth along the front of the stage while holding the microphone down for various crowd members to sing. Then they played another favorite, “Biblical Sense” and Jackson continued to interact with the crowd.

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It got pretty rowdy down front, too rowdy to take photos with expensive camera equipment so I headed up to the second level bar to have a drink and watch the rest of the performance. One of the highlights of the show was when HR came back onto the stage to perform a reggae inspired version of the Beatles song “Come Together.” Seeing two DC institutions together on one stage at the 9:30 Club was a memorable experience and throughout the night, the band effortlessly showed it’s range between ska/punk songs and slowed down reggae jams.

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The crowd on Saturday night was great. While the show wasn’t completely sold out, it was still close to capacity and everywhere you looked there were people singing and dancing no matter what song the band was playing. Each song was greeted with an enthusiastic cheer, especially crowd favorites like “Drunken Master,” “Night Owl,” “Movin’ On Up” and “One Dollar Bill”.  It was a good mix of different ages, everyone from teenagers to people who probably discovered The Pietasters during their formative years in the early 90’s, a true testament to the scope of the band.

All in all, it was an excellent night of music and a fun way to help ring in 2011. I picked up The Pietasters’ latest album “All Day” on the way out and I’ve given it a few listens over the past two days and I’ve really enjoyed it. I think it’s a more mature sound from their older material, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I plan on going back and picking up some of their other albums later on as this concert helped me rediscover a band I haven’t listened to in awhile.

Last but not least, a big shout out to audience members Claudia and Emily who snagged a setlist after the show; it definitely helped write this review!

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